


fall together

by pheonix85



Series: fall together [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Families of Choice, Fluff, Gen, Irondad, hey i kill uncle ben hella early, just an excuse for me to write fluff tbh, just an fyi, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-08-07 07:59:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16404440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pheonix85/pseuds/pheonix85
Summary: Peter Parker is five years old when his Uncle Ben is gunned down in a bodega down the block from the apartment where they live, just a year after being orphaned when his parents die in a plane crash.Tony Stark is a genius, reckless, billionaire playboy on his 3rd DUI when a judge finally decides he can't just pay his way out of it, and sentences him to Community Service.May Parker is doing her best.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> new to writing for this, it's been a bit since i've written anything. fell in love with this genre/pairing. very much inspired by a lot of the irondad/spiderson here on ao3. I have already written a lot for this (the next 2 chapters are basically done), and the sequel set 10 years in the future, so we'll see how it goes.
> 
> A/N: edit: this is not technically rated, but i wanted to put a foul language warning up here, because there be F bombs.

**November 2006**

The lights of the courtroom were too bright.

Or maybe. Maybe it was just too early.

Tony Stark winced as his eyes adjusted. His lawyer had practically growled at him when he showed up for the last day of court this morning, muttering something about alcoholism and told him to take off his sunglasses inside, that it made him look unsympathetic, like he wasn’t taking this seriously enough.

Tony rolled his eyes. He was a fucking billionaire, sympathy wasn’t exactly something the public doled out for him --- especially when he made dumb fucking decisions.

 _Of course_ , he thought as he took a deep breath, trying to quell the roil of his stomach, _it could have been the scotch, too_.

“At least you didn’t drive yourself here.” The lawyer grumbled, gathering his things and heading into the courtroom.

There were some reporters, but no one he recognized as high profile, thank god. He sunk into his seat when he got past the gallery, making an attempt to stay as self-possessed as possible. He was moderately positive that he was pretty screwed. He’d thought that at DUI number two, and had _somehow_  managed to swing paying a massive price to avoid any sort of jail time.

But, he groused internally, he’d heard the third time's the charm.

“Mr. Stark, there is a saying.” The judge began after everyone had settled in.  “ ' _Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result._ ' You have made it clear, to my understanding, that allowing you to pay ever-increasing fines for illegal and dangerous behavior is not only ineffective in discouraging said behavior, it may even be emboldening it.”

“I hereby sentence you to 18 months of community service. Details will be provided at a later date.”

The gavel hit, a sharp **_thwack_**  reverberating throughout the quiet courtroom. Tony Stark, under the scrutiny of all those present, had little to do other than rub his forehead and sigh.

_Fucking great._

 

 

* * *

 

 

“You know,” Rhodey began, leaning over him to get a slice of pizza. “You’re actually really lucky. You could’ve gotten legit jail time, Tones.”

“I know.” Tony sat back, sipping on a bottle of water. Back on the wagon, as it were. “But this is…”

“A really great opportunity. You could do worse than hanging out with a couple of kids a few times a month.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “I’m not a babysitter.”

“Three DUI's, Tony. Three.” Rhodey made a chiding sound as he ate his pizza and shook his head. “For a lot of regular people, that’s game over. You need to chill.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Tony made an exasperated sound. “I’m not even supposed to be in New York much longer, but apparently there aren’t any disenfranchised wunderkinds in Malibu.”

“It probably has more to do with the fact that you broke the law in New York state.” Rhodey pointed out. “Do you know anything else? Are you gonna get a particular kid assigned to you or do you get to pick, or is it like a free for all thing?”

“No idea. But, they’re apparently like, kids of different ages, all with aptitudes for science and stuff, so at least they know my brand.”

“And you gotta go when?”

“Next week. I have to go to some orientation and that’s when we’ll get the info about how it all works. I assume if they’re going to assign me to someone, it’ll be then.” He rubbed his face. “God, the press is gonna have a field day with this.”

“Might actually make people like you more, if you can try and not be a complete ass about it.” Rhodey dodged as Tony balled up the napkin and tossed it at his face. “How are Obie and Pepper dealing with it?”

Tony huffed. “Hm. Well, Obie is in the same camp you are --- could have been much worse. And Pepper hasn’t really said anything, but it’s more that ‘ _i’m really disappointed in you_ ’ parent vibe, and I kind of think I’d really have the anger. You think she’d know better by now.”

“Tony.” There was a hint of reprimand in Rhodey’s tone as he stood and walked so he was directly across the kitchen island. Tony wouldn’t meet his eye. “If you were really as big of a prick as you think you are, I wouldn’t still be your friend. You’re a better person than you give yourself credit for. You definitely _can be_ a better person, and you can make better decisions. Maybe this is what flips that switch for you.”

“Yeah,” Tony sniped, spinning away from his friend, opening the fridge to avoid his gaze. “Some kid is gonna walk right into my life and change me for good. It’ll be like I’m Kristin fucking Chenoweth.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Across the East River, in the borough of Queens, May Parker found herself lost in her own thoughts.

She checked to see if Peter was sound asleep before she closed the book she had been reading, and attempted to slide out of the bed without disturbing him. She made sure the nightlight was on before turning off the light and pulling the door closed behind her.

At least the nightmares had pretty much all but stopped. The first few weeks after Ben’s death, she’d been pulled from her own grief by sounds in the next room; tangled, sometimes damp sheets on the floor, and a sobbing little boy who wouldn’t even let her touch him.

They hadn’t caught the man in the bodega, and the quality of the videos hadn’t helped anything. Peter was jumpy now, eyes darting wherever they went, his once bubbly and energetic demeanor turned inward. He didn’t talk much anymore either; he wasn’t mute, necessarily, but he just didn’t say anything, outside of simple one word answers.

He was such a good boy. She just hadn’t expected to be a single mother within a years time, and between this and work, and getting used to Ben being _gone_ , she was reeling. She had gotten Peter a counselor, someone to help him work through the trauma and the grief, and it wasn’t unusual for May to have her own occasional session. It was during one of those when the counselor had mentioned the mentoring program.

“It’s small. The kids are usually split up into groups of about 8-10 children, usually gifted but disadvantaged in one way or another.” The therapist had smiled. “Peter is obviously well provided for but...his aptitude for math and science puts him a few years ahead of the other children his age. This would surround him with other kids like himself, who may have also experienced some sort of trauma. The children are all paired with a mentor, kind of a big brother/big sister program…”

May had listened. She’d accepted the pamphlets, gotten a tour of the facilities. They weren’t exactly state of the art, but the lady who ran the program, Ellen, explained they relied on mostly angel investors to help fund their resources, and they used most of the money for supplies like computers and other gadgets the kids could play with.

“My son is involved in the program.” Ellen explained at the end of the tour. “He’s not enrolled but I bring him with me to interact with the kids sometimes and take part in some of the activities. He’s also got a bit of a knack for science. If you’d like, I’d be happy to have him meet Peter to see if you think that would help with any shyness he has.”

And that would be good for Peter. His parents had lived close; he had known May and her husband all his life, but he was still new to the neighborhood, and his kindergarten class, and he didn’t have any real friends outside of the occasional play group. This could be a good way to meet other kids that shared what he liked the most.

She was so nervous. She explained it to Peter as simply as she could, and he had just nodded and began playing with his Lego's again. She’d arranged a meeting with Ellen to be there a little early so he could play with her son before the other kids would show up.

She’d be there with him. She’d been pretty adamant about meeting whoever they paired him with. And if she saw, for even a little bit, that he seemed stressed or upset, that this may make this harder for him, she would pick him up and walk him right out of there.

By now, her thoughts had wandered with her into the bathroom. She stared into the mirror, washing her face, letting her hair down.

She looked tired. She wasn’t sure what else she alone could do for him.

She owed it to Peter to try.

 

  

* * *

 

 

 

They arrived early the next day. The woman who had given her the tour was bringing her son to play with Peter a little bit before everyone else showed up. They’d only be spending two hours with the assigned mentors as part of an orientation to the program, for both the kids and parents to make sure they were comfortable with the assignments. The organization would facilitate the first month or so of activities, but then pairs would be permitted to go outside of the site, with the appropriate slips signed and agreements in place.

May greeted Ellen with a smile and a hello. She bent down closer to Peter, running her hand through his hair. “Honey, this is Mrs. Leeds. Can you say hello?”

Peter offered a wave and Ellen crouched down to his level. “Hi, Peter. We’re so excited to have you with us today, I hope you’re ready to have some fun.” She rose again to her feet. “If it’s alright, I’d like to introduce you guys to my son, and maybe you can go in one of our rooms while your Aunt and I talk for a bit. Does that sound okay?”

Peter nodded mutely, and Ellen craned her head behind her. “Ned, honey! Can you come here for a minute please?

There was a crash from one of the rooms down the hall, followed by the shuffle of sneakers that grew louder as they neared. It was a little boy, about Peter’s height, a mop of jet black hair in his eyes. He landed right in front of Peter with a big smile on his face.

“Hi! I’m Ned. My mom said your name is Peter and you don’t like to talk.”

“ _Ned_.”

“It’s okay.” May assured, letting her hand rest on Peter’s shoulder with a squeeze. “He talks a little but not too much. But he does like to play though.”

Ned brightened. “I just got a new Lego set, you wanna come help me build it?”

Peter straightened up and nodded. He craned his head up to check with his Aunt, who smiled and patted him on the back. “Go ahead. I’m gonna talk to Mrs. Leeds for a few minutes.”

The boys took off around a corner. May heard a door open and close. Ellen smiled. 

“We have a few activity rooms here, they’re fine. How are you doing, May? Still nervous?”

“A little.” She admitted.

“That’s completely normal.” Ellen gave her a reassuring smile, then began to walk to one of the small tables near the front of the open area. “How about we sit down over here? I have Peter’s file so you can review who he’s been paired up with, and we can discuss any additional concerns you may have.”

May did as she asked, and watched as Ellen pulled a manila folder from her bag and set it on the table in front of her. “Let me give you a little bit of a rundown as to how we pair up the kids. The individual we chose for Peter is a single man in his mid-thirties. He is a mechanical engineer, so, strong in both math and science. He also experienced the loss of his parents when he was barely out of his teenage years so, while there is an obvious difference, there is still some shared experience. We believe he could be a very good match for Peter.”

May was nodding. It sounded kind of promising. Ellen pushed the folder over to her. She opened it and frowned.

“Tony Stark? You’re pairing my quiet, sweet kid with _Tony Stark_?”

Ellen’s lips set in a line. “I know what you’re thinking, but we told you the program often worked with individuals with community service requirements.” She folder her hands in front of her, leaning towards May as if she were selling her a car. “Look, I understand your skepticism. But outside of his indiscretions…”

“You call a 5th DUI an indiscretion? And not a wild lack of---”

“3rd, actually.” A man’s voice chimed in from behind her and May stopped, her face flushing. In the doorway, stood the man himself. “I apologize for interrupting, but my ears were burning. I hope it’s alright that I’m a little early, but I just get _so excited_ for the first day of summer camp.”

May closed her eyes for a moment, simmering with embarrassment. When she opened them and turned towards the doorway, the billionaire was standing there, a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

Handsome, yes. A genius? Yes. A responsible adult capable of mentoring a kid with a somewhat tenuous history?

She’d be the judge of that. Her expression darkened.

“Only your 3rd?” She recovered quickly. “Oh. My mistake.”

“Easy one to make.” He replied, strolling over. He stuck out a hand. “Tony Stark, CEO of Stark Industries.”

She stared at it for a quiet moment. She stood and realized, to her surprise, that he wasn't that much taller than she was. She grabbed his hand. “May Parker.”

“Nice to meet you.” He cleared his throat “Ms. Parker, I understand that my...reputation, precedes me, but I can promise you that…”

“If you put my nephew in danger,” She cut him off, standing up taller. “If I find out you get drunk around him, or high or anything else you do around him, so help me god, not only will Peter be done with this program, I will report you to whoever I have to to make sure you see the inside of a cell, do I make myself clear?”

Tony held his hands up in defense, eyes wide at her tone. "Crystal."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Tony met Peter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, now i'm nervous, i wasn't expecting that much of a response. Hope everyone enjoys!

The orientation was dull. It had started with some of the history of the program, and after about two minutes of that, Tony had stopped listening, allowing his mind to wander. Some of the information would probably be useful, but he assumed it wasn’t anything he couldn’t ask or read about later.  
  
He’d sat in the very back row, in the very back corner, dark sunglasses on. There had been enough passing looks as other men and women filtered in, but he had luckily been able to avoid any intrusive questions. Now, as Mrs. Leeds spoke up front, he’d gone relatively unnoticed. He let his gaze shift as he surveyed the room.  
  
He found May Parker sitting in the middle of the group on the other side of the room. On her right sat a small boy, a mop of brown curls messy on his head. He was wearing a red shirt and blue jeans and had his hands folded in his lap, and his eyes focused on them. His Aunt’s hand was at the base of his neck, rubbing it absentmindedly to comfort him.  
  
Tony couldn’t help but be curious. They had given him a packet on the kid, but he hadn’t really looked at it outside of the first page of the profile. Close to 5 and a half, the boy's parents had died when he was around 4, which explained the Aunt. Something about trauma, which was _great_ because Tony was definitely the best person to be helping with _that_ . His parole officer had expressed that she thought it would be good for him, despite his reservations. Something about kids bringing out a side of someone they didn’t know they had----whatever that meant.  
  
After an hour of the most meandering information, they announced they would split into small groups. Each pairing had been assigned a number, 1-10, and there were different stations throughout the building. Tony shuffled the manila folder with his information on his leg and rose, heading to the designated spot. When he got there, he saw other pairs of adults and children before he got to May and her nephew. Another boy sat there, chatting excitedly with him.  
  
He frowned. He was sure that this was a 1:1 type of thing.  
  
As he approached, May looked up and offered a wary smile.  
  
“Tony.” He watched her hands tighten a bit where they saw on her nephew’s shoulders. “Nice to see you again.”  
  
“Hi, May. Exciting presentation, was it not?”  
  
She shrugged. “I think it’s important to understand the program.”  
  
Tony grumbled under his breath unintelligibly. He popped his arms, rubbing the back of his head. “So. This is….”  
  
“Peter.” May turned towards the little boy, moving one of her hands so it rested flat on his back. Peter’s gaze was trained to the ground as he leaned into her legs. “Pete, honey. This is Mr. Stark. He’s the man that I told you about.”  
  
The boy looked up nervously, allowing his gaze to settle on the man for a moment before looking back down at the ground. His feet shuffled in front of him.  
  
There had been a flash of recognition. Tony had seen his eyes widen, could tell by the turn of his mouth that he was confused, and then, when the boy had dropped his gaze back towards the ground, he’d gotten the distinct sense of...  
  
Fear? Maybe just uncertainty?  
  
He wasn’t exactly a person sensitive to others, a whole lot of the time. He dealt with adults---most of whom, most of the time, wanted something from him, often something he was unwilling to give as freely as they’d have liked. So he was defensive and skeptical, and reluctant.  
  
And yet.  
  
He slowly lowered himself down to the boy’s level, surprising himself. He’d had all of maybe a handful of interactions with kids Peter’s age, mostly just children of acquaintances, or kids at parties, and so it had been a passing kindness. But this kid, now…  
  
He extended his hand and smiled softly. “Hey, Peter. I’m Tony. It’s nice to meet you.”  
  
Tony shifted his weight from one side to the other. The kid left him hanging for a few seconds, making him nervous, but eventually, the 5-year-old looked up at him under hooded lids. He was being weighed and measured.  
  
The boy continued to eye him cautiously, as he reached for Tony’s hand, slowly, and shaking it. Tony smiled at the boy.  
  
If he was going to be here...if he _had_ to be here, then he was going to do the best by the kid and hopefully, not completely fuck this up.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

They sat around the table May had commandeered for a little bit, until the time of their initial introduction was winding down. Tony had a meeting to get to in a couple of hours, accounting for traffic, but he found himself not as desperate to leave as he had been when he’d first arrived. May had even seemed to warm up to him just a bit, and Peter’s friend Ned had immediately launched himself into the conversation. Tony found the kid nice enough, but his energy was off the charts and he was happy to find out from May that Ned was just here to help Peter get acclimated to the program.  
  
Peter, though. Peter hadn’t said anything the whole time. He had smiled, and he had offered a Lego character or two, produced with a flourish from an unseen pocket, but Tony’s questions had been met with curt nods or head shakes, and the boy had turned away more than once in outright denials of them. The two boys were immersed in battling the Lego figures when Tony met May’s gaze over Peter’s head.  
  
“Chatty, isn’t he?” He offered, trying to lighten the awkwardness.  
  
It backfired. The look May gave him over the kid’s head could have constituted a veritable threat and he winced.  
  
“Nothing wrong with being quiet! We can play without...really talking, I guess.” Tony clapped his hands together softly. “I heard you guys were putting something together before we got here, you wanna show me what you were doing?”  
  
“I can help!” Ned piped in, grabbing Peter’s hand. “C’mon Pete, let’s show him the castle we’re building.”  
  
Tony watched the kid light up and nod quickly, a bright smile forming as he dashed after his friend. Tony rose with May.  
  
“I didn’t mean---”  
  
“I know.” She sighed. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want him to feel bad about it.” She looked up at him. “I know they kind of gave you the rundown sheet in your packet but----” She took a deep breath. “He’s just been through a lot in a short time, for such a young kid. My brother in law and his wife in the plane crash a little over a year ago, and my husband…”  
  
Tony heard her breathing catch, and she took a moment before continuing. “He was with my husband, at the corner store, when the robbery happened. He saw everything.” She fiddled with a gold band on a chain around her neck. “He’s not mute. And he’s definitely not stupid. He’s just...he just doesn’t really talk much anymore.”  
  
Now, Tony Stark was not a man renowned for any sort of empathy, but the look on May’s face, and the thought of any kid having to see that? He shook his head.  
  
“I never thought he was stupid,” Tony assured. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know about your husband, the information just said----.” His voice was low. She waved the apology away.  
  
“It’s fine. This is about going forward. I just wanted you to know, he’s just dealing with it in his own way.” She offered a tight smile. “Let’s go find them.”  
  
He trailed behind her, his mind spinning with the weight of this thing he was getting involved in. A young, traumatized kid and his Aunt, trying to find balance and normalcy in a completely non-normal, fucked up situation.  
  
Jail may have had less collateral damage.  
  
They entered the playroom, and apparently, the Lego’s had been commandeered by another group. Ned looked close to apoplectic, but Peter had a wide-eyed look of panic on his face; Tony watched as Peter inched back from his new friend, pressing his entire body against his Aunt’s legs, watching the scene as Ned tried to reach for the toy and was dissuaded by his mother, trying to calmly explain that it wasn’t quite there turn again yet. Eventually, Ellen walked over, Ned’s hand in her own, an apologetic look on her face.  
  
“Ned and I are gonna take a little break for a bit. Mr. Stark, maybe you can talk to Peter and get to know him a little?”  
  
Peter stared at the billionaire with large eyes. Tony smiled the best he could, but he was truly and completely out of his element. He looked around the room, filled with small groups of adults with kids, talking and playing, and saw a busted up hunk of metal in the corner. Tony didn’t think to consult May; instead, he looked right at Peter, gesturing to the corner. “What about we go check this out over here?”  
  
Peter looked at the mess, then glanced precariously back at his Aunt. She gestured freely; if Peter was curious enough to go with Tony, at least under her own watchful eye, of course, that was good enough for her.  
  
When they neared it, Tony discovered a few child-sized tools as well as screws and nuts and bolts, and quickly understood this to be what he had heard of as an Erector Set; a mechanical toy for levers and pulleys, a way to engineer crude models of trucks or trailers and he shrugged. It was a good as the Lego set, if not better---at least these were almost actual tools. He worried it may be a little advanced for the kid, but if that was the case, they could find something else.  
  
“Okay, Pete,” Tony rubbed his hands together, sitting down, gesturing for the boy to join him. He tried not to think of the other people in the room. He willed himself to push away how uncomfortable he was with the diminutive stature of the models or the basic resources around him. He was out of his element. He was uncomfortable.  
  
But---he was kind of used to this. He could adapt. As a boy of 15 he had stepped into a school with kids 3 years older than him, always an outsider, always someone who stuck out, always having to just deal with being uncomfortable. This was just in the service of someone else, and not necessarily his own self-interest.  
  
“Okay, kid.” He hummed with a smile. Peter’s hands were in his lap, tightly held into fists.  
  
“Hey, buddy, come on.” Tony urged softly, gesturing at a stack of tools nearby. “Can you tell me which is a wrench and which is a screwdriver?”  
  
And the kid was small. A little over 5. He didn’t expect him to know much of anything, but that was part of the whole thing. If he was able to even….  
  
Peter, very easily, grabbed for the flat metal object closest to himself and held it up in the air. Tony stopped speaking, and maybe even had his mouth open for a second, before he swallowed, nodding slowly.  
  
“That...that is, actually, a wrench.” He took it from the kid, running his hand along the edge. It was crude, flattened into a cheap pattern that would have bent easily under any pressure but fit the kit that was provided. Tony huffed out a laugh.  
  
“You _are_ a smart kid, aren’t you?”  
  
And Peter grinned. After a moment, he turned back to the mass of parts and began picking through them. The model was meant to be a simple crane; nothing elaborate, but Peter easily sorted through the parts, finding the body of the model, the joint, and then the crane and the lever, and Tony simply watched, pointing out when he needed help, a gentle grin on his face.  
  
Maybe this wouldn’t be that bad, after all.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

   
**_January 2007_ **  
  
One of the luxuries of being one of the richest people on the planet was that Tony was pretty much free to do whatever he pleased with his time. Come or go, with or without warning. Time and space were no real restrictions to him.  
  
Or at least they hadn’t been.  
  
A requirement of his sentencing was that he should average, at the bare minimum, at least two days a month hanging out with his mentee.  
But there were snags.  
  
It was normal for Tony to spend his summer at his Malibu home because of the demands of his company, despite the fact that Obediah did most of the heavy lifting. He had usually split his time equally (if not spending more time in California) but the Judge’s decree had made that difficult and so he resigned himself to compromising with the program and with May Parker.  
  
So.  
  
During the Summer, he would still spend time in California, but that meant more frequent visits during the fall, winter, and spring. And because it was January, and there was close to nothing to do around the city, he found himself more and more often at the community center.  
  
This particular day, it was snowing. He parked his car and hurried in, and was surprised to see Peter and Ned already in the middle of playing, and no May Parker in sight. His brow wrinkled as he shot a look at Ellen.  
  
“Work.” She explained. “Apparently they’re having a particularly busy few days. May said something about the weather and the flu and heart attacks, I don’t know.” She waved her hand. “Anyway, I told her I’d pick him up and he’s gonna stay with us for the night. The boys are really looking forward to it.”  
  
The boys, having heard themselves being talked about, turned around. Peter’s face when he saw Tony actually sort of lit up and he smiled. Tony didn’t think about how that coincided with this weird sort of fluttery warm feeling in his stomach.  
  
Didn’t think about it at all.  
  
Peter sprang up and ran over to him, and flung an arm around his leg, Ned trailing a little bit behind. Tony’s face burned, but he rested a hand on the boy's shoulder and squeezed a bit.  
  
Not including the day they’d met, they’d seen each other about 5 times now. The program had kicked off in late November, and there’d been a little bit of time off with the holidays, but once the New Year had settled into place, they’d fallen into a routine. The kid still wasn’t talking much outside of basic pleasantries, but that was alright; Tony was starting to figure him out.  
  
“Hey, kiddo.” He squatted in place, taking off his sunglasses. “What are you guys up to today?”  
  
“We’re building dinosaurs!” Ned chimed in, pushing himself to stand next to Peter. “Peter’s got the Triceratops and I have a Stegosaurus.”  
  
“Oh yeah? How’s about you go and grab those right quick so you can show them to me, I wanna talk to your mom about something for a second.”  
  
The boys took off towards one of the playrooms. Tony rose with a smile.  
  
“So I have something for the kids. Nothing crazy, just a few nerf guns, a couple of RC cars, figured we could get a little crazy inside if that’s alright with you. Just something to mix it up a bit?”  
  
She frowned a little. “We usually try and keep it to activities that we would consider stimulating…”  
  
“What isn’t stimulating about a little target practice?”  
  
“Mr. Stark…” She reproached.  
  
“They’re 5, Ellen. They’re Nerf guns. And it wouldn’t be the entire day, I promise. I just gotta run and get them from the car.” He looked around. “I have been meaning to ask, how do you get all this stuff anyway? How do you decide that stuff like Lego’s are the most ideal?”  
  
“We don’t consider them the “most ideal”.” She replied, a little short and defensive. “But, we have budgetary restrictions and things like Lego’s help kids explore their creative sides but also figure out the mechanics behind building stuff.”  
  
She continued when he had no reply. “We also have a large outdoor area with playground equipment, so everyone can go out there when the weather gets warm. But Legos, K’nex, some of these old purposed laptops, other STEM toys...we rely mostly on donations and a few investors. We’re just not that known of an organization.”  
  
He had a fleeting concern she was trying to drop some kind of hint, but Ellen was staring at the kids with a soft smile on her face, and there wasn’t a tone of desperation to be had. Legos, Kinex, computers...it was more than a lot of other people had.  
  
But, Tony considered. There could always be better.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

  
In the end, Tony was there until much later than he expected to have been. They played with the Nerf guns, and when Peter had shot him in the forehead (completely by luck, by the way), the boy had laughed more than Tony had ever heard from him.  
  
No one could say, for sure, that Tony had grabbed the boy and thrown him over his shoulder. No one could attest that he ran around the room with Peter laughing hysterically, and Ned yelling about his friend and about how Ellen sat at her desk in a corner, trying to hide a smile on her face. And no one, absolutely no one, could tell how Tony was actually kind of enjoying himself.  
  
As the afternoon wound down, and Ned was off with his mom doing one thing or another, Peter carried a bag of loose Lego’s over to where Tony sat and dumped it in front of him. Dozens of pieces, some looking exactly the same, some completely foreign. Without a word, Peter thrust a paper of instructions on it and made a motion for Tony to join.  
  
“Mr. Stark, can you help me?”  
  
Tony steeled himself to not react. The most the boy had ever spoken was an acknowledgment; yes, no, hello or goodbyes, sometimes with a “Mr. Stark” tagged onto the end but this…  
  
Tony slid from his chair to where Peter kneeled on the floor and grabbed the paper. “I think we can work this out.” He turned the paper over, looking at the mess on the floor, to the directions and then to the 5-year-old in front of him, who was staring at him with wide eyes, awaiting instruction.  
  
“Okay, kid. Now, where do we want to start?”

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

  
“Pepper!”  
  
The assistant closed her eyes with a sigh as she heard the door to the main floor of the Penthouse slam shut, followed by the shuffle of Armani loafers across the tiled floor.  
  
“I need information on our philanthropic contributions of the last 5 years when you get a chance.”  
  
“Can I ask why?”  
  
“No….real reason. Just a couple of ideas.”  
  
She pressed her lips together. “Well. Let me know if you’d like me to review any changes you decide to make, just in case.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the kind of thing I referred to as an [Erector set](https://www.amazon.com/d/Toy-Building-Sets/Eitech-Classic-Cranes-Windmill-Pcs/B001DJHOOW/ref=sr_1_6?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1540596024&sr=1-6&keywords=erector+set+crane). My brother had one when I was growing up; i don't know if they're still a thing nowadays tho, so for reference!


	3. Chapter 3

The months passed easily. The natural progression of the mentor program was for Peter and Tony to spend time alone together, eventually, outside of the center. Paperwork was involved, and the legal guardian, at all times, was to be aware of where they were, but even May had to admit it would be nice to have some time to herself. She had grown to trust Tony at least a little---and if she didn’t trust him, she at least trusted Happy, and the New York State criminal justice system.

 

And that was exactly how she put it when she asked Tony if he was sure about this, for the fifth time.

 

He rolled his eyes and handed her a phone. She gawked at it for a second---it was more advanced than anything she could afford, and it wasn’t even on the market yet. He explained to her that he had programmed his personal number, as well as many others she’d find listed. There was also a geolocator so she could check in on their location if she wanted and he assured her that if at any time their plans changed, he would contact her for the okay.

 

He could tell she was impressed---even if she looked like she wasn’t very happy about it.

 

He had decided to take the kid to opening day at Shea Stadium. It was finally not miserable outside, but he bought the kid a jacket and ballcap all the same in preparation. He had not expected for Peter to absolutely lose. his. shit.

 

“Oh my goshhhhh Mister Stark, oh my gosh, Aunt May look! AUNT MAY LOOK!” He shoved the ballcap in her face. She startled, but smiled at his excitement, then looked up at Tony.

 

“That is so cool, he totally didn’t have to do that _and_  take you to the game. What do you say?”

 

“Thank you!” The little boy threw his body at Tony, wrapping his arms around the man’s legs, jumping up and down. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!!”

 

Tony couldn’t suppress a chuckle. “You’re welcome.” He ruffled the kid’s hair. “Hey, how about you go get your shoes on so we can go, grab some food before the game or something?”

 

“Okay!” And without hesitation, Peter dashed into his room and closed the door. Tony looked back at her, confused.

 

“He’s on this privacy kick, I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Look, I really appreciate you doing this for him. He’s going to love it.” Her hand absentmindedly found the chair around her neck. “And I know money isn’t really an issue for you, but I want to make sure it’s clear---I don’t want you spoiling him too much.”

 

“It’s just a jacket.”

 

She held her hands up. “I am totally okay with the ball game and stuff. I just…” She made a wavy motion. “You seem kind of like the type that shows affection by giving people stuff. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Peter is an easy kid to love---”

 

That was a little too much for Tony too soon and he began to deflect. “I don’t know if I love---”

 

“You might, one day.” She interrupted him. “I just don’t want him getting all this...stuff, heaped on him. So before you buy him like…a pony or something, can you just run it by me first? Like, anything that would be over, like, a hundred dollars, just give me a heads up or something?”

 

“I can do that.”

 

Peter’s door swung open, a wide grin on his face. He had changed, his shirt now a weathered tee with a vintage Mets logo on is. His shoes were on, and in one arm he had the jacket and his glove. The hat was on his head.

 

“I’m ready, I’m ready, let’s goooooooo.”

 

“Hey!” May exclaimed. “What about me?”

 

“Sorry Aunt May.” He ran over, jumping onto the chair next to her and pulling himself up to kiss her on the cheek and give her a hug.

 

“Thank you, baby. Have a good time and listen to Mr. Stark.”

 

“I will!”

 

Tony looked back at her as he opened the door to their apartment and gave her a half wave, before hurrying after the little boy. He almost preferred with Peter was quiet and timid around him; now it was like trying to keep up with a greyhound.

 

Happy was waiting for them in the car. Because Peter was still on the small side, he had a booster seat set up for him and made sure he was buckled in before they went anywhere. It was a moment of surrealism as he settled in beside the boy. If anyone had told him a year ago he’d have a _booster seat_ in his car, he would’ve laughed them out of any room.

 

When they pulled up to the stadium, Peter frowned. “I thought we were gonna eat?”

  
  


“We are.” Tony replied with a nod. He got out while Happy got the kid out of his car seat and walked around to their side. Peter grabbed his hand as they started walking across the parking lot, and Tony looked down at him in surprise.

 

“Aunt May says I always have to hold a grown-up's hand when we’re walking in the street.”

 

“That makes sense.” He replied with a squeeze, eliciting a grin from the kid that made Tony feel some kind of way. He wondered if that would ever stop, the random tightness that showed up out of nowhere, leaving a warm, satisfied feeling in its wake.

 

They walked into the stadium through a gate with a guard that Tony acknowledged as a friend and walked down a tunnel. Peter’s eyes were huge; he had only been to the stadium a couple of times before that he could remember, with Uncle Ben and his Dad, but he had never been anywhere but the really high seats and this was…

 

This was way different.

 

“Mr. Stark? Where are we going?”

 

“To have lunch. We’re eating with a few of my friends.”

 

They came to a set of double doors and when they opened, Peter gasped.

 

There was food set up by catering, trays filled with stuff like sandwiches and meat and cheeses, with cakes and cookies at the end. But that wasn’t even the best part.

 

“Oh my gosh, that’s Carlos Beltran!” Peter squealed, squirming in delight. Tony, usually cool and aloof at all times, couldn’t help his grin.

 

“Yeah, I told you. Friends.”

 

The ballplayer and a few others walked over to greet them. They spent the next hour or so talking, fielding an incessant amount of questions from the boy happily and in the end, they walked out of lunch with a baseball filled with signatures from the entire team.

 

“If your Aunt asks, I did not give that to you, David Wright gave that to you, understood?”

 

“Yes, Mr. Stark!”

 

The seats themselves were even better. Right behind the Met’s dugout, it was full service so they didn’t have to get up in they wanted anything to eat or drink. With Happy on one side and Tony on the other, Peter was on cloud nine. He chattered the whole time about what was going on on the field, surprising Tony with how much he knew about the game.

 

“I didn’t know you liked baseball this much, kid. We’ll have to come to more.”

 

“I used to watch the games on tv with my dad and Uncle Ben.” And for a moment, he got kind of quiet and stared at his shoes. “They’d have really liked this.”

 

Oh no. 

 

Peter looked up at him, his eyes wide under the oversized hat on his head. “Do you think they’d be okay with me being here today, Mr. Stark?”

 

Tony smiled. “Yeah, kid. Based on everything you and May have told me about them, I think they’d only want you to have a great time.”

 

Peter smiled back. “I think so too.”

 

* * *

 

It was getting dark when the game was over. The Mets had won a great game, and by the time they pulled up to May’s apartment in Queens, the kid was passed out cold.

 

“I’ll take him up.” Tony told Happy, scooping the kid up into his arms, making sure to grab the bag beside him that held his souvenirs. The boy mumbled in his sleep and nestled closer to Tony, throwing an arm around his neck.

 

There was that feeling again in his chest.

 

“I got you kiddo.” He whispered, nodding to the doorman before climbing up the stairs to their floor. He kicked the door softly to knock and when May opened it, her face melting into a soft, loving gaze.

 

“Oh wow.” She whispered. “Wore him out, did you?”

 

“I wasn’t sure it was possible.” He said with a smile. He followed her inside to Peter’s room and sat him on the bed, where May began to peel his jacket off. The boy was sleep warm and pliable, and he muttered incoherently as she changed him into pajamas. By the time she was done, he was a little more conscious, but just barely.

 

“Say goodbye to Mr. Stark. And thank him.”

 

Peter nodded sleepily, rising from his bed and shuffling over to where Tony sat. He wrapped his arms around the man again in a hug. “Thank you, Mr. Stark, I had a lot of fun today.”

 

“You’re welcome, kid. Now get to bed, you look beat.”

 

“I will.” And then Peter kissed him on the cheek, before turning and climbing back into bed. Tony sat, half-stunned, and rose only after May had tucked the boy into bed. She motioned for them to leave, and Tony followed her out into the living room in a daze.

 

She was chuckling as she sat on the couch. “You look like Bambi.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“The scene, at the end of the movie, with the flowers, when the doe kissed him. You look like that.”

 

Tony’s cheeks burned. “I just didn’t expect it.”

 

She waved a hand. “He’s a loving kid, and it’s a normal bedtime routine. He’s half asleep, I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”

 

“I wasn't worried about it.” He grumbled. He ran a hand through his hair and looked around. “I don't want to keep you up, I just wanted to make sure he got settled in okay.”

 

“I actually want to talk to you about something else, if you have a few minutes. You can sit if you’d like.”

 

He did, eyeing her warily from the armchair across from her. “I didn’t buy him anything else, the players gave him the ball.”

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

She paused, as if trying to figure it out, then continued on. “No, I don’t...I just wanted to ask if you’ve talked to him about this summer.”

 

“This summer?”

 

“Yeah. The whole, you not being here all summer, thing.” She peered at him. “So I’m gonna guess that’s a no.”

 

“Yeah, no I...it hasn’t come up.”

 

“Well, it probably needs to.” She folded her hands in her lap. “Look, routines are important to kids. And you’ve become part of the routine for Peter. He expects to see you. He asks to see you---”

 

“He does?”

 

“Yes. He does. And it’s alright that you won’t be here---kids are also incredibly resilient and he needs to understand sometimes things change---but I want him to also know you’re not just abandoning him.”

 

“I wouldn’t do that to him.” Tony said quickly, and he realized inwardly, he meant it, that he felt it fiercely from a place he didn’t know he had.

 

“I know you wouldn’t.” She assured. “Look, I get that you may not love him yet, but you’re very good with him. You obviously care about him. And I think you need to be the one to explain why you’re not going to be around and answer any of the questions he may have. Do you think you can do that, maybe next time you guys hang out?”

 

“Yeah, sure. Absolutely. I actually wanted to ask you...would you be alright with him coming by the SI offices downtown? I have a lab where I work on stuff. It’s not as extensive as the one in Malibu, hence why I need to go back there from time to time, but it does have some pretty cool stuff. I’ll make sure there’s nothing dangerous either.”

 

“That’s fine. He would actually love that.”

 

“Alright then. And we’ll have our chat. ” He slapped his legs and looked at her. “We good, then?”

 

“Yup.” She rose and walked him toward the door, pausing for a moment before she opened it. “I don’t know that I’ve really said this, but I want to. I was...really nervous about this whole thing. Especially when I found out it was you. I wasn’t sure…” She shook her head. “That doesn’t matter, what matters is, this whole situation has worked out so much better than I ever could have dreamed, Tony. You’re so great with him, and he is crazy about you. He’s on his way back to how he was before Ben.”

 

She paused and closed her eyes. He saw her swallow, take a shaky breath. Her mouth split in a wan smile and when she opened her eyes, they were shiny. “I was so afraid he wouldn’t ever get back to that. I was so afraid it was gonna mess him up forever. I just wanted to say thank you.”

 

She leaned in and gave him a quick hug. His chest was tight again.

 

What in the hell were these people doing to him? 

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get ridiculous.” She laughed softly, waving at her face. “It’s just been a rough year.” She opened the door. “We’ll see you in a few weeks.”

 

“Yeah.” Was all he found he could muster. “Hey, I really do care about the kid. I don’t want you to think what I said earlier…”

 

“I know.” She smiled. “I’ll see you later, Tony.”

 

“Have a good night, May.”

 

* * *

 

Even though he was away from Malibu, he still had a pretty big portion of the business to run. There were board meetings, conference calls with executives of Stark Industries all over the world. He’d actually had to travel to Germany and Korea the last two weeks that April. When he was in the latter, he’d found this weird little dog stuffed animal that had made him smile.

 

it was definitely under a hundred dollars.

 

It was a Friday when Tony was gonna see Peter again. May had, against all odds, actually allowed for Peter to stay the night when Tony had asked---it actually was kind of great, she mentioned. She’d been meaning to pick up some overtime.

 

Pepper had been amazed. It’d only been about 6 months since they’d been hanging out----a third of his assigned sentencing, but May seemed to trust Tony enough with an overnight (given Pepper and Happy were present, of course)---and when Pepper mentioned this, Tony had thrown his hands out in equal surprise.

 

“I know, right? Seems like I ever defy your expectations.” He winked at her. “Says the overtime is good for her budget. Nurses really get paid garbage for the work they do.”

 

May dropped the boy off after his school was out at around 3. Tony and Pepper were still in a meeting at the office, when he arrived at the Penthouse, and so Happy was on the hook for an hour or so and set him up in front of the television of all things.

 

“You’re a terrible guardian,” Tony complained. “How can I sell this as “stimulating” to Ellen Leeds when you have him watching the Powerpuff Girls for 2 hours a day?”

 

“He _likes_ the Powerpuff girls.”

 

“I do not, girls are gross!” Peter exclaimed as Tony led him down towards his lab.

 

“Nobody’s gross buddy, okay?” Tony shook his head. “C’mon, we’re making a volcano.”

 

“Whoaaaaaa….” Peter echoed, following down the stairs. “An actual volcano?”

 

“Well, one with like, vinegar and baking soda, but yeah, kinda like an actual volcano. Now come on.”

 

He’d had it set up ahead of time, with the rubber gloves and the white coats and goggles and flasks. It wasn’t really dangerous enough to warrant all of that, but if Peter was going to possibly have a future in science, he wanted to make sure he was aware of the proper lab etiquette. 

 

He had a stool for Peter to sit on, and he walked the kid through the process. He’d included food coloring and painted the mountain, and as Peter poured the baking soda into the mouth of the volcano, he’d had a video running so he could send it to May afterward.

 

Peter’s eyes grew wide as the mixture bubbled and spewed over the rum and down the sides. Tony had had the foresight to put the model in a container so clean-up would be relatively easy. Peter began to babble about how it was so cool and “how did you do that, Mr. Stark?” and continued to gush. So Tony began to explain the reactions, explained, as simply as he could, that the vinegar was acidic and the baking soda was a base and that mixing them created a reaction that made the mixture bubble up.

 

“Like…” Peter’s face screwed up. “Like a soda?”

 

Tony nodded. “Yeah, kinda.”

 

“Can we do it again?”

 

Tony shrugged. “Might as well. Here, let me show you what I had put in there first, and then we’ll walk through what I just told you.”

 

They ran the experiment two more times, with Peter taking the lead on the last; they were mixing in a few other things as well, and Tony was impressed that Peter seemed to memorize it easily.

 

“Now, remember,” Tony tapped at the boy's goggles, still on his face. “You need to be careful when you’re mixing stuff. Don’t do it without an adult around. And always wear your gear. You got it?”

 

“Got it.”

 

“Okay, good.” He stripped off his gloves. “Okay, let’s get you washed up. I was thinking...you want some sweet n sour chicken for dinner? White rice?”

 

Peter nodded eagerly. He loved the fried chicken and the sweet sauce that came with it, and he wasn’t allowed to eat it all that often. Tony didn’t even make him eat the vegetable that came with it like Aunt May did.

 

Tony helped the kid down and shooed him off in the direction of the bathroom to wash his hands. There wasn’t much in the way of clean up for the experiment, benign as it was, and he ordered Jarvis to send Pepper a message and ask if she could take care of it sometime that night.

 

They were in the middle of their Chinese food, a movie on television after she had easily disposed of the mess and found her own container of General Tso’s waiting for her. She smiled at Tony in surprise. “This is exactly what I like. With the snow peas and everything.”

 

“Of course.” He popped a piece of shrimp in his mouth. “You’ve worked for me for like 8 years, Pep, give me some credit.”

  
  


She rolled her eyes. He always usually had her order the food, and she was even surprised he remembered his own standard order, let alone knew the number to the usual place.

 

“I figured since I was asking you to clean up, the least I could do was feed you.” He said with a wink. “Peter, do you remember Ms. Potts?”

 

Peter had been silent since she entered the room and was just staring at her with big eyes. He looked up at Tony, uncertain. Pepper smiled as she messed with her food.

 

“I think we’ve only met once or twice.” She said softly. “Hi, Peter, you can call me Pepper, if you want. I help Tony with his work stuff. I live just on the next floor.”

 

He watched her, then looked back at Tony, then nodded. “You came to the center. Around Christmas.”

 

“Yep, that was me.” She stabbed at a piece of chicken. “Did you guys have fun this afternoon with the volcano?”

 

The kid instantly brightened. “Yeah! Mr. Stark showed me how to make lava, and then even let me do it all by myself! He said that next time….”

 

Peter rambled away about potential future experiments, and Pepper found Tony’s gaze. He shrugged, a self-satisfied smirk on his face, but also something that Pepper thought may have been pride. She stifled a laugh.

 

Tony Stark and a kid. Who would have thought?

 

* * *

 

The bedtime routine was pretty benign. He had to have Peter up and over to Queens early for some weekend thing May had planned, so he wanted to get him to bed on time so they could have a quick breakfast before they left.

 

Peter was almost 6, and pretty self-reliant by those standards. He brushed his teeth while Tony stood behind him, doing the same to make sure Peter did a thorough enough job (per May’s specific instruction). After he'd changed, Tony sat with him on the bed in the guest bedroom, making sure he felt comfortable by himself. He also figured it was as good a time as any to talk to him about the upcoming summer.

 

“Hey, kiddo. Before you nod off, I got something I need to talk to you about.”

 

The kid stared up at him expectantly, the quilt already pulled up over his legs. “Okay.”

 

“Look,” Tony shifted so he was completely on and next to him. “You know I’m in charge of a really big and important company right?”

 

A nod.

 

“Well, because I have to do a lot of work to make sure everything goes okay, I usually spend time at my other house in California. Do you know where that is?”

 

“Far away?”

  
  


Tony nodded. “Really far away. I have to fly on a plane to get there.”

  
  


The kid blanched at that and began to tremble. “A plane?”

 

It was then Tony recalled how the kid's parents had died and he hurried to assure him. “Kid, I know what you’re thinking. But I promise, it’s okay. It’s my plane, and we don’t fly it unless we know it won’t crash.”

 

Peter didn’t look convinced, but he also didn’t look like he was going to burst into tears either. “So you’re going away.”

 

“Only for the summer. Only for a few months, until you start school again.” He almost launched into an explanation about conferences and board meetings and “optics”, as Obie had been bitching about lately, but he figured that would be over the kids head. “But that means we won’t be able to hang out for awhile.”

 

The kid's face fell. “I’m not gonna see you again?”

 

“No, kid, absolutely not,” Tony assured. “We can call and chat online---your Aunt’s phone, it has a camera we can video chat.”

 

“But we can’t go to baseball games and do science experiments?”

 

Peter sounded so disappointed, and Tony’s heart fell. “Not until September, kiddo. I’m really sorry.”

 

The boy's eyes fell to the quilt. “When are you leavin’?”

 

“Not for a while. We can hang out another two times before then. Maybe we can do another game, hm? Or a museum, or Coney Island, anything you want.” He put his hand on the kid's shoulder. “I really am sorry, Pete. Sometimes being a grown up sucks.”

 

Peter was quiet for a few moments. “It’s s’okay. I know grown-ups have to work.” He looked back up at Tony. “You promise I’ll see you again when you come back?”

 

“Like the very first weekend, I promise kid. And we can talk when I’m away, don’t forget that.”

 

Peter nodded.

 

“Are you okay? Do you have any questions you wanna ask?”

 

Peter shrugged. “Can you stay, Mr. Stark? Until I fall asleep?” He looked around the room, wide-eyed. “I just…”

 

“Sure, kid, anything you want. Do you want a story or something?”

 

Peter shrugged again.  “Mr. Stark?”

 

“Yeah, kid?”

 

“Are we friends?”

 

That was a strange direction. Tony raised a brow. “Of course.”

 

“Cause Aunt May said, when I met you, it was because the police officers said you had to.”

 

He frowned at the over-simplistic explanation. “Well. Technically that was a judge.”

 

“What’s a judge?”

 

Tony shook his head. “Nevermind. Kiddo, that...may be part of why I met you. But isn’t why I’m still here, Pete.”

 

And that wasn’t 100% true either. He still had a year to go before he expected to have met his requirements. But this wasn’t just an edict to him, not anymore. He wanted to make sure Peter knew that.

 

“Peter, you have to know...sometimes I'm not the best grownup.”

 

The boy frowned at him. “Nu-uh.”

 

Tony couldn’t help but smile a little. “What do you mean, nu-uh?”

 

“You and May are like...the best grown-ups.” The boy paused, cocking his head consideringly, but nodding eventually. “Yeah. You’re definitely the best grown-ups. More than Mrs. Ellen, and my teacher at school. They’re really nice but,” He shrugged as if it were the simplest thing in the world. “You guys are better.”

 

“Aw, buddy.” Tony shook his head. “You’re definitely like, the best kid I know. Like the absolute best.”

 

“Really?” Peter asked wholesomely. And Tony, despite admittedly not knowing that many kids, heartedly double downed.

 

“Absolutely.” He ruffled the kid's hair. “So are we gonna keep hanging out, when we come back?”

 

“Yeah,” Peter replied shyly.  “Ned too?”

 

Tony laughed. “Sometimes, sure. Ned too.”

 

The boy smiled and shuffled down further under the covers, burying his face in the pillow. “Awesome.” He closed his eyes. “You’ll stay?”

 

His fucking chest. “Until you’re asleep, kiddo.”

 

Peter hummed. He rolled so he was on his side, and placed a small hand on Tony’s forearm. Tony’s heart swelled.

 

_Oh no._  

 

_ I am so totally screwed. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am gonna be on vacation for a week coming up here, so it'll probably be that or so before it's updated again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, i'm sorry it's been forever but between vacation, getting sick just at the end of vacation, work, etc...
> 
> this is super long though, so I hope that's alright. i considered splitting it up but this covers some ground. hope you enjoy!

There was plenty of work to be done in Malibu when Tony arrived for the summer. Pepper had endless amounts of paperwork for him to sign, there was always a meeting with one person or another. And then there was the house.

 

The lab in New York that he’d built was...fine. It was fine.

 

But DUM-E and Butterfingers were _here_. The AIs had squawked when they'd sensed him enter the lab and the lights flashed erratically as they spasmed in their places.

 

“I know, I know.” Tony soothed, patting DUM-E. “I'm home.”

 

And there was so much he'd been working in when he left. So many specs he'd come up with in New York, so many things to do. He’d spec’d out a new weapon that could possibly alter the direction of the Middle East conflict without putting any additional servicemen and women in danger, and wasn’t that always the goal? Maximum output with minimal casualties?

 

At least on America's side.

 

His summer filled up rather quickly. Between all of those things, summer galas and presentations and bullshit awards ceremonies, the time passed easily.

 

It wasn't all work, though. Spending time in his lab wasn't work. Getting to dive into his projects was cathartic, it gave him a lot of time to work out any anxiety he had and it calmed him down. It motivated him to improve on projects he wasn't quite satisfied with.

 

May called him a few weeks after he’d been gone, and Peter had talked to him over the tablet that he had left them and told him all about summer and Ned, and how they were going to a day camp where they got to set off rockets and do other cool science experiments. Tony couldn’t help but grin at the kids' excitement.

 

“Sounds like I may need to step up my game when I get home.”

 

“Your lab is way cooler, Mr. Stark,” Peter assured and Tony bit back a laugh.

 

“I appreciate that.”

 

Peter asked what he was doing and Tony was vague. There was something about trying to explain to a six-year old that he created weapons of mass destruction that was off-putting, so he just settled on telling the boy that he made things to help American soldiers in the war and that seemed good enough for Peter.

 

Tony missed California, though. Missed the beach, and this house, the one he’d been raised in. Pepper was closer here, too, and Rhodey, who made regular visits now that he was only a brief drive away from the base he was assigned to.

 

He’d even missed Obediah. His relationship with the man was always a little contentious, but Tony trusted him implicitly; he was really one of the closest people he had to family, outside of Rhodey. Someone who had known him for what felt like longer than he had even known himself.

 

He had been in contact with Tony for most of his time in New York, had even stopped in to see him when he’d been in town for work, but it had been all business. It always was with Obie. He’d grown up close to the man who’d been one of his father’s closest confidants; there was no one he trusted more with the business, after himself.

 

It was over a month into the summer before they were in the same room together though. Between both of their schedules, it was hard to pin down a time, but they made sure to schedule a dinner. They were at a fancy steakhouse in Malibu, Obadiah sniffing at his Syrah before taking a sip. He made a face at it, and shook his head, settling it tilted as he looked expectantly at Tony.

 

“How’s the charity thing going?”

 

“Charity thing?”

 

“The kid.”

 

Tony frowned. “The kid has a name.” He settled in his napkin in his lap. “It’s good. Peter’s a good kid.”

 

“My mistake,” Obie laughed. “No need to be so jumpy about it, it’s all in good fun.” The man hummed in a way that always unnerved Tony a little. “Never would have pegged you like a guy to get defensive over a kid.”

 

Tony wasn’t sure what that meant, and his frown deepened but he didn’t say anything more. The waiter came with their food and set it down, and Tony sipped at his own glass of wine.

 

“I actually think there’s some opportunity within the organization for investment,” Tony began. “They do a lot of work with low-income communities and other disenfranchised youths. We could split off some of our current charity work and maybe provide some better tech.”

 

Obediah was looking at him as if he were crazy. “Who are you, and what have you done with Anthony Stark?”

 

Tony grinned. “I’m serious. The facility is out of date, and they’re giving the kids stuff like Legos and puzzles and shit.” He popped a piece of steak in his mouth. “Not that there’s anything wrong with Lego’s. Lego’s are a blast, but….” He flicked his wrist in a circle motion, trying to work through his thoughts. “I mean, Peter is slick. He’s a smart kid. All of the kids there are. With even a margin of what we could provide if we trimmed some here or there, it could change their lives.”

 

Obie was silent, examining him with an inscrutable look on his face that was beginning to make Tony uncomfortable.

 

“Well, I suppose I should be thankful you’re being a bit more mindful of the company’s image.” He cleared his throat, reaching for his own utensils. “I imagine you already have some ideas?”

 

“Obie, you know me so well.”

 

And he rattled through it. Tony didn’t want to get into the real grim stuff in an open space. Weapons manufacturing was what their bottom line was built on, sure, but it didn’t always play well in public and they never knew who really was listening. Potential philanthropic endeavors would play much better if someone was eavesdropping from close by.

 

Obie listened, appearing half interested in what he was hearing but mostly just humoring the younger man. Tony was sure Obie would go along with anything that was cost-effective; he knew that the real conversation would start on the car ride home and continue over drinks on the balcony overlooking the Pacific.

 

“Pepper showed me some numbers.” Obediah finally chimed in. “Favorability has actually gone up for you the past 6 months. Those outings where the paps get you two going out for ice cream or whatever the hell you’re spinning are working wonders for your reputation, which translates into gains for SI in general.”

 

“The kid’s not a prop, Obe.” Tony snapped, taking a sip of his drink.

 

Obie raised his brows. “Don’t go getting soft on me, Tony.” He adjusted his tie and rose from his seat, excusing himself for the bathroom. “I’d like to meet him, one day maybe. Seems he’s important to you. Just be careful you don’t get too attached.”

 

Tony wasn’t sure what that meant either. He pushed it to the back of his mind, not intending to worry on it past this---Obie was only looking out for his best interests.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Rhodey had a key to the mansion in Malibu. He’d had one for years, since he first met Tony back at MIT, back before the Stark's had passed away in the car accident, back when Maria would invite him in even when Tony wasn’t around and feed him. The mansion had always felt like home.

 

He missed having Tony around. He’d given Rhodes free reign of the house in his absence, but Rhodey found that without the soft sounds of Tony’s rock music blaring from down below, without the mad genius himself tinkering around the house and making snide comments about platypuses and flyboys, it never felt quite like home.

 

He’d been taking advantage of Tony being home. Stopping in when he felt like it, mostly catching Tony at work. He had been surprised how Tony had lightened up---they’d been out, of course, but Tony wasn’t getting so sauced he was completely incapacitated and putting people in danger. A positive side effect, he assumed, of Tony actually having to face consequences for once.

 

It was one such visit, in fact, made early when Colonel Rhodes found his friend diligently at work on something new and different than anything he’d ever seen. The light streamed into the beach house window. In Malibu, Tony Stark was up early and working with…

 

Silly putty?

 

Rhodey put his bag on the floor and walked over to his best friend, a perplexed look on his face as Tony tinkered with vials filled with what looked like…

 

Goo. Some kind of goo.

 

“What is that?” He asked, disgustedly. Tony looked up as if just realizing he was not alone.

 

“Hey, buddy! Just a little side project, nothing serious.” He drew the stirrer out of one of the vials. “Here, take a look.”

 

Tony whipped the glass rod at the wall and whatever the substance was, it took off and landed on the opposite wall with a splat, sticking for a few seconds before rolling down and hitting the floor. Rhodey continued to look confused.

 

“I don’t get it.” He shook his head. “Is this for some kind of explosive, or….”

 

Tony rolled his eyes. “Not everything I do is with the intention to blow shit up, Rhodey.”

 

“Then….?”

 

Tony shrugged. “Thought it was funny. Just like...you know, how back in the day, Nickelodeon had that slime stuff and what not….”

 

It clicked into place. “So you’re designing children’s toys now? That’s an interesting market to break into.”

 

“In all seriousness, it really would be. Imagine the cool shit we could design.”

 

“Is this at all related to why you’re going back to New York 3 weeks early?”

 

There it was. The way Tony blushed told him everything and he started cackling. “Man, that kid has you whipped.”

 

“He does not,” Tony replied defensively. “But if you get an invitation to a birthday party, it is rude to decline…”

 

“Mmhmm. Wow. Wow, wow, wow, I never thought I’d see the day…”

 

“Shut up.” He groused. “There’s no real reason to stay out here, and Peter really wants me to come to his party. Apparently, it is Power Rangers themed, and it’s gonna be, in his words, “really really cool.”

 

“Like, I really want to make fun of you, full disclosure,” Rhodey started. “But there is something just so legitimately sweet about that, I just can’t. When do I get to meet this kid?”

 

“Never.”

 

“Aw come on….”

 

Tony waved his hand. “Whenever you want, you just gotta come to New York. His Aunt is gonna be out of town in September for a conference and he’s gonna stay with me for a few days if you want to try for that.”

 

Rhodey’s eyes went wide. “ _You_ are going to be responsible for him overnight? For a few days? Oh hell yes, sign me up for this, I promise I’ll be there.”

 

“He stayed the night back in April,” Tony shot back. “I’m glad to hear you have so much faith in me.”

 

Rhodey chortled. “Has nothing to do with faith, friend, I just can’t wait to watch you wrangle a 5-year-old.”

 

“6.”   
  


“What?”

 

“His birthday is in a few weeks, he’s gonna be 6.” He pointed at Rhodey. “I’m not sure if you’re aware but kids are really sensitive about that stuff.”

 

Rhodey shook his head, making a motion with his hand. “ _Whoo-pish_!”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“You know,” Tony muttered towards May. “I could have gotten the actual Power Rangers to show up today.”

 

They were outside, at some pavilion in a park in Queens. There were probably 15 kids running around and there were 5 young adults dressed in the various Ranger costumes, taking pictures with the kids and playing out fake fights to entertain them. Tony stood back with Pepper and May under the overhang where the cake sat, ready to be cut. Tony idly wondered if it might melt before they ever got the chance, the August heat seemingly pressing in from all around them.

 

May slid a warning glance at him. “He’s 6, Tony.”

 

“I’m just saying,” He noted, eyeing the people in their colorful jumpsuits, carousing amongst themselves as if they were old friends; he was assuming they were either drunk or hungover from previous nights activities. “They would have been….sharper, than this.”

 

“Well, maybe you can have a superhero show up for one of his other birthdays, but for right now, this will have to do.”

 

She walked away with an excuse to refill her still half-full punch glass. Pepper, off to Tony’s side, laughed.

 

“You never learn.”

 

“What?!” He turned around, in genuine surprise. “I’m just saying. One phone call….”

 

“She’s already explained she doesn’t want him spoiled.”

 

“It's his _birthday_.”

 

Pepper waved her hand at the children where they played. “And he’s having a great time, so let it be.”

 

He really seemed to be. Peter was laughing with Ned and running around with the other kids, mimicking the kicking and punching motions the characters were performing. Tony rolled his eyes. 

 

“Fine.”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The week of May's conference arrived quicker than Tony expected it to.

 

The final plan was for Peter to spend a couple of days with his friend Ned’s family, then stay two nights with Tony. That way, the boys could have the sleepover they were so desperately begging their parents for, and Peter could spend some time with Tony, something he’d insistent on when May had first told him about her work trip.

 

Tony picked the kid up in the afternoon from the Leed’s house. Ellen was at the door with Peter’s backpack before Tony was even on the front stoop, looking frazzled and exhausted. 

 

“We have to leave in an hour for Philly. We’re going for the weekend to my mom’s,” She explained, thrusting the bag into Tony’s arms. “They were up until 11 last night watching cartoons, and up at 7 this morning. He’s been fed and took a shower.”

 

“Awesome, excellent.”   
  


The boys sounded like what Tony expected a herd of small horses would trampling down the stairs, Peter jumping from four steps up to stick the landing. He grinned up at Tony, toothy and out of breath.

 

“Hey, Mr. Stark!”

 

Tony smiled softly. “Hey, bud. You ready to get going?”

 

Peter nodded. “Bye Mrs. Leeds. Bye Ned! Have fun at your grandmas!”

 

Tony waited for him at the end of the walk as the kid struggled with his jacket. It wasn’t cold, not really, but cool enough for the morning that he’d need that until the afternoon. Tony figured that made for a good day at the park. The zoo, the playground, before they went to a late lunch and then back to the penthouse for the night.

 

Tire the kid good enough that he’d pass out around 9.

 

Peter rambled away about the few nights he’d been at Ned’s and Tony just listened with a smile as they navigated the twisted paths of the park. They’d not seen each other since he’d been back in New York, save for the kids birthday, and Tony just let himself enjoy it. They ended up at a playground close the zoo.

 

Tony sat on a bench, eating a churro and thumbing through his phone while Peter climbed up the netting to the inside of the fort shaped structure, monkey bars and slides on all sides. Tony made sure to glance up every few minutes as he scrolled through the news and SI emails to make sure he could spot the kid climbing through the tunnels. 

 

There weren’t too many people around---it was Friday after all; they’d arranged for Peter to just take the long weekend from school to make it easier. Tony saw a few women around on benches with toddlers, and a man in a black jacket off to his other side, a little girl with blonde hair laughing in front of him as she darted back and forth from the equipment. She raced up inside the structure, and Tony found himself catching the man’s eye, nodding to each other in acknowledgment. 

 

Tony shook his head to himself with a huff. Sitting in a playground, watching children play and being completely at peace with it. Was he being domesticated?

 

If he was, he thought to himself, maybe that wasn't the worst thing. 

 

Immersed in work emails, messaging back and forth with Obie and Pepper, he frowned to himself when he noticed he hadn’t checked on the kid in a few minutes. He looked up, scrutinizing the play area, and realized...he couldn’t see Peter. Not running around on the gravel chasing after one of the other kids like he’d been doing, not crawling through one the pipes on his way to a slide and not on the tire swing, spinning in circles so fast that Tony was sure he was going to probably throw up later. 

 

He couldn’t see him at all.

 

“Peter!” Tony raised his voice only a little, rising from where he sat on the bench, sliding his phone into his jacket. He walked into the maze of climbing structures, scanning as kids ran by him, tried to focus on the sounds of little voices over the pounding of his heart as that grew louder in his ears.

 

He’d lost a kid. The state had sentenced him to watch after him, and Tony had fucking _lost him_.

 

May was going to kill him.

 

“Peter!” He surveyed the grounds area one more time, then looked at the netting leading up to one of the small towers with a sinking feeling in his gut. 

 

He was going to have to get in the playground.

 

There were a lot of places for a kid to hide, to be fair. There was even an enclosed tower, probably 15 or 20 feet high into the air, with scopes at the windows for kids to look out without being in danger of falling. He’d make his way over there, the highest point, hopefully with a decent view.

 

“He can’t have gone far,” He muttered quietly, trying to calm himself down. Because panicking wasn’t going to solve anything, as far as he was concerned. He’d look himself. And he’d find him. Because calling the police to report that he’d lost May Parker’s kid was not an option. 

 

Tony frowned as he approached the netting. He hadn’t done this in decades. He flexed his arms, rolling up the sleeves of his jacket, then sighed deeply. All he needed was for one of these Mom’s with a camera to get a shot of him crawling into this thing but he had to do what he had to do. 

 

It was touch and go there for a second; the netting wobbled when his foot left solid ground, making him afraid he’d fall on his ass, so he grabbed on to steady himself with both hands. It was only one or two more steps before he pulled himself into the structure. He couldn’t straighten up all the way so he’d have to make do.

 

Each point he came to between pipes and bridges, he called Peter’s name. He stood up where he could, and scanned the play yard. He noticed that a couple of the mother’s and their children had left, as well as the jacketed man he had nodded to---he would have to remember that, if----

 

He shook his head and continued on.

 

Eventually, he made his way to the last walkway, a chained bridge leading up to that highest point. His heart was in his throat. 

 

Peter had to be in there. And if Peter was, and he hadn’t answered him, didn’t come when Tony had called…

 

Tony had never been mad at Peter before. Their arrangement had always lent itself to having fun and the man indulging the kid but now, Tony was worried and he was angry. How could Peter just...not answer him? Didn’t he know how dangerous it could be? Didn’t he understand that Tony was responsible for him? Could he not hear how worried he was?

 

Having worked himself up, Tony crossed the bridge in two steps and bounded up the stairs to the tower. He was panting, wide-eyed and panicked when he came to the threshold of the five-sided turret.

 

There was Peter, sitting with his head buried in his knees with his arms wrapped around them. He wasn’t moving.

 

“Peter!” Tony snapped. “What are you doing? Did you not hear me calling for you? I have been---” He bent over him, grabbing the boy’s arm to get his attention. 

 

Peter’s soft cry of alarm stopped him in his tracks. The kid looked up at him as if he expected Tony to be an assailant of some sort, his arms up to protect himself as if a blow was about to rain down on his head. Tony drew straight up, hands in the air.

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, kid, it’s just me, it’s Tony.”

 

Peter stared at him with wide eyes for a moment as if he was just processing it before he let out a shuddering breath and buried his head back in his legs. 

 

Tony wasn’t sure what to do. The look on Peter’s face---he’d never seen the kid look terrified before.

 

He crouched in front of Peter, hesitant to touch him right away. He took a breath, speaking as soft as he could. “Pete? Pete, it’s just Tony. Are you okay?”

 

Peter didn’t move but Tony could hear his heavy breathing. Peter was trembling.

 

“Peter, did someone...did something happen?” Tony settled into a cross-legged position. “Kid, you gotta give me something here, or else I can’t help.”

 

Peter rubbed his face against his kneecap, shaking it back and forth. “The man…” came a muddled, strained reply. “The man outside. He’s…” And his voice broke off, and he pressed himself harder into the wood behind him. ‘

 

“Peter, can you take my hand?” Tony held it out, hoping he was keeping the urgency from his tone. He didn’t want to scare the kid or make him jumpier than he already was. Peter was 6---no kid should ever have that kind of look of abject terror on their faces. Tony didn’t even want to think what had caused it. “Peter, I promise, I’ll get you out of here safe, but you have to come with me. We can’t stay up here all day.”

 

“No! He hurt Uncle Ben.” Peter’s face crumbled and he pressed his hand against it, rubbing at his eyes. “He’s gonna see me, Mr. Stark, he’s gonna _know_..."

Tony’s stomach twisted into knots. The only other man who had been at the playground had been the man in black, the one playing with his little girl, who Tony had smiled at and nodded to, and had thought nothing of.

 

They were in a city of millions of people. He was just someone who looked like the guy, surely…

 

“Pete, come on kiddo. The man’s gone. He was gone before I came looking for you. Look,” Tony stood, motioning toward one of the scopes. “How about you can stand on my knee and look out and see? He’s not down there, kid. How about we head back to my house? I have that whole cartoon Star Wars series you were telling me about over the summer, we can watch that and you can tell me all about it.”

 

Peter looked up at him from his place on the ground. “Are you sure?”   


 

“You don’t think I know what it looks like when someone has walked away?”

 

Peter’s dubious expression didn’t fade, but he relaxed from his crouch just a bit. Tony held out a hand and helped the kid up. Peter’s hand grasped tightly at Tony’s sleeve. Tony kneeled, letting Peter climb up and peer through the lens. 

 

Tony waited quietly as Peter made him go to each vantage point. He didn’t even object when the kid asked for one more look. 

 

It was only then that he allowed Tony to coax him from the tower. It was a slow process, and Peter never relaxed his grip. Tony tried not to think about how pale the kid looked; how he was sweating bullets, how his gaze kept darting around, frantically looking for the man. 

 

Peter was glued to his side as they navigated their way out of the park. Tony had alerted Happy to the problem and had made sure the car was at the closest exit so they could make a quick getaway. It was only then, strapped into his seat with the doors locked that Peter seemed to relax a little. Happy looked back at Tony in the rearview mirror, brows furrowed in concern. 

 

“Later.” Tony directed at him with a nod, and Happy clicked a button that slid a divider up between them. 

 

Tony shifted to the side, facing the kid. Peter was staring at his lap, twisting his fingers and chewing on his lip. 

 

“Kid?” Tony started gently. “Peter, you doing okay?”

 

The boy was silent. He shifted away from Tony, looking out the window. 

 

The pit in Tony’s stomach expanded. He was sure--- _sure_ \---it had to be mistaken identity.

 

But whatever it was, something was really, really wrong.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

They made it to his penthouse without any further issue. Pepper was waiting there for the both of them; Happy had texted her to let her know something had gone awry with their day and that Tony may need her help, but what they all found concerned them more than a kid on the verge of a breakdown.

 

Peter wasn’t saying anything. He wasn’t doing anything. He was following Tony around, his hand still gripping Tony’s jacket, but he wasn’t saying a word. He stayed in the kitchen with Pepper while Tony changed, and they were only able to get him to do the same if they followed him to the guest room and promised to wait outside.

 

“What happened?” She whispered to Tony. Peter was inside, changing into sweatpants and a t-shirt, something well suited for tv watching. Tony’s expression was tired and drawn. He shrugged.

 

“He _says_ the guy at the playground was the guy that…” Tony hesitated. “I think he thinks it was the guy that shot his Uncle.”

 

Pepper gasped. “Did you get a look at him?”

 

Tony nodded. “He didn’t look like a murderer.” He scratched at his head. “But I guess they never do, not always. I mean, he had a black jacket on, closely shaved head. He was there with a kid though that was all over him, I assumed it was his daughter…”

 

The door opened and they stopped talking. Peter’s gaze darted between them, warily, but he walked out, feet bare and headed to the couch. There, he climbed up and grabbed a blanket and wrapped himself up, burrowing into the arm of the chair without a word.

 

Pepper looked at Tony. This stay wasn’t going to go at all how they had planned

 

 

* * *

 

 

Peter stayed quiet. They tried to get him to eat something, but the boy picked at the chicken tenders and fries they presented. They tried to get him to eat ice cream----no dice. 

 

The Clone Wars series served to entertain him enough.

 

“And that’s Luke Skywalker?”

 

Tony hadn’t been aware a 6-year-old would be able to master such a scathing look. Peter rolled his eyes at him, burrowing further into his blankets.

 

“Obi-wan, Mr. Stark.”

 

“Oh, so the guy with the green light sword thing is Luke?”

 

Peter had groaned, and so it went, on and on. 

 

Tony figured with the day it had been, he’d let the kid stay up until sleep started to take him. It wasn’t until about 10 that he noticed him dozing and urged Peter to head to his room for bed. 

 

“You locked all the doors?” Peter asked, eyes wide as Tony tried to get him to relax. Tony nodded, waving for the kid to climb into bed. Peter’s gaze darted around the room, his body tense as he did as he was told.

 

“I promise, I locked all the doors.”

 

“And do you have alarms? Aunt May says there’s an alarm on our building that goes off if---”

 

“I have a lot of alarms, Peter.”

 

The kid's forehead wrinkled. “And your room is right across the hall?”

 

Tony put his hand on the boy's leg. “If you call for me, I’ll be in as soon as I can get out of bed.”

 

Peter nodded. “Okay. Okay.” He slid down into the sheets. “Mr. Stark….he saw me. He saw me look at him. And that’s when he....Mr. Stark, he _saw me_.”

 

The kid was trembling again. Tony made a conscious effort to keep from reacting much, but he felt his expression soften. He made a motion for the kid to move over and he climbed onto the bed, over the covers, and set his hands in his lap. 

 

“You’re safe here, Peter. I promise I’ve even told my security guards about it. He’s not gonna hurt you.”

 

“What if he knows where I live?” Peter asked quietly. “What about Aunt May?”

 

“Aunt May is in Portland and will be until Sunday. We’ll have it worked out by then.” 

 

Peter’s eyes got wide. “What are you gonna do?”

 

Tony hadn’t really thought much further than that. Honestly, his only priority that evening had been to keep Peter from completely freaking out and getting him into bed without issue. He shrugged, settling back on the pillows.

 

“I have a few ideas,” He lied. “But for now, how about we watch one more episode of The Clone Wars, and then you go to sleep, hm?”

 

It didn’t take long. Tony liked to think sitting there made the kid feel more comfortable, but it had also been a long, emotionally exhausting day and within 10 minutes of the show playing from where it hung on the wall, Peter was passed out, slumped against his side, breathing evenly. 

 

Tony slipped out slowly, poking at his watch to turn the television off. He made sure the kid was good and out before turning off the light and closing the door just so a sliver of light would sneak in---he wanted to be able to hear if the kid woke up from a nightmare or something. Tony vaguely remembered May mentioning they had plagued him in the wake of his Uncle’s death.

 

It was true that Tony’s room was close to Peter’s, but that’s not where he went. Instead, he headed towards his lab, telling JARVIS to alert him if anything changed in the spare room. Once there, he pulled open his laptop and began typing.

 

“Sir,” JARVIS chimed in after a few minutes. “Might I offer a suggestion?”

 

“Sure, J, you know i’m always up for that.”

 

“Might I suggest,” The AI’s tone was noticeably dubious. “That it may not be a good idea to try and violate the NYPD’s closed-circuit network when you are currently on probation.”

 

Tony smirked. “Not going for that necessarily, JARVIS, but I appreciate the concern.” He continued his work. “I’m just aiming for the SAN; the NYPD hosts at a Data Center just outside the city, so _technically_ it’s not their network. There are cameras all around the park, I just want to see if I can find backups of that footage.”

 

“Sir, I think it may be unwise…”

 

“JARVIS, unless it’s about Peter waking up, not another word.”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

May returned on Sunday night and Tony filled her in on their trip to the park and the man that had kept Peter subdued most of the weekend. She had been reasonably alarmed and told him she was sorry it had ruined their time together. 

 

“Not at all,” Tony waved his hand. “I just hope he’s feeling better, and I didn’t want you to worry if he was acting odd.”

 

“He’ll be okay.” She chewed at her lip. “You don’t think it was actually that man, do you?”   
  


Tony shrugged. “I wouldn’t really know. What I know, is that he was really shaken by it.” He frowned. “Probably a good idea to keep an eye out. If you want, I can have security hang out around you for a few days, just in case…”

 

She shook her head. “No, not at all. I’m sure it’ll be fine. But thank you, Tony. Thanks for all of it.”

 

What he did not tell her, was that he had, in fact, found footage of their afternoon at the park. That he had run a facial recognition of the man in the black jacket against a database of previous offenders. That he had found a couple of matches for a man by the name of Dennis Carradine and had forwarded that information to the police as a potential sighting for the man wanted for the murder of Ben Parker, based off of other eye-witness accounts from the night in the Bodega.

 

And he probably should have mentioned it, he thought to himself, when his parole officer called him Monday morning.

 

His P.O., a woman by the name of Jeanie Cook, did not look happy when he slid into the seat across from her later that afternoon, a thick manila folder closed on the desk that separated them.

 

“Mr. Stark,” The woman began, adjusting her glasses. “I know you’re a smart man. The entire world continuously hears how brilliant you are. So I would like to know why, with your intellect, you would think it would be alright to break into the New York Police Department’s storage server and copy data that you were not authorized to access?”

 

Tony crossed his legs. “I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”

 

She stared at him over her glasses, unamused, and cleared her throat. She opened the folder in front of her and began to take pages from the top of the record, placing them in front of him as she spoke.

 

“Late Friday night, someone hacked into a server at a Data Center on Long Island and copied a set of media files for a camera in Central Park from earlier that afternoon. They destroyed nothing. When our cyber division reviewed the files that were compromised, they curiously noticed you were also in the recordings.”

 

  
He rolled his eyes behind his glasses. “It was a nice day, and I like the park.”

 

“----consequently, the department received a set of information on Saturday morning containing information on a repeat offender by the name of Dennis Carradine, that of which could only have been obtained by someone with access to the internal department database which also, interestingly enough, was compromised by an unknown agent.” She looked at him again, folding her hands in front of her. “The department noted that young Mr. Parker was also identified in the recordin, and that the crime for which Mr. Carradine was referred to as a potential suspect for was the murder of his Uncle in a Queens bodega last summer.”

 

Tony whistled low. “That is...that is an extraordinary coincidence.”

 

She nodded, her lips twisting into a wry smile. “Coincidence, yes. Especially considering that there are very few people the police could think of with the level of expertise to completely hide themselves from that particular level of access, for that purpose.” 

 

Silence settled between them. Jeanie didn’t break her gaze, and Tony found himself thankful he’d chosen this particular pair of shaded sunglasses. 

 

“Do I need my lawyer?” He asked softly. 

 

She frowned. “I generally advise that anyone facing potential criminal charges _always_  have their lawyer, but in this particular instance, no.”

 

Tony relaxed in his seat. “Does that mean they got him?” 

 

The officer ignored his question and continued.

 

“You should feel incredibly fortunate the NYPD is choosing not to press charges.” She told him pointedly. “This...incident, however, will go into your file as part of your record.” She made a few notes, then shuffled some of the other papers around. “Now, since I have you here. I wanted to check in and see how the rest of your arrangement is going.”

 

“Arrangement?”

 

“With the Parker boy.” She flipped a few more pages, her eyes scanning a document. She frowned. “I have no log of your meetings with him. Have you kept records of the time you’re spending with the child?”

 

“I mean, I’ve checked in over the phone with you.” He reminded her. “May has also, from what I understand, been in contact with you.”

 

She smiled the sort of smile that one does when speaking with someone who isn’t quite understanding what they’re getting at. “I do recall that. But there needs to be documented information for your visits. Something to track when you’ve been meeting with the child. They should have covered this during the orientation at the center.”

 

Ah yes, he thought to himself. The one he had not at all paid any attention to.

 

“Well, I’ve kept a calendar. Digitally. I thought that would be fine.”

 

Jeanie nodded. “I would recommend printing it out and having Mrs. Parker sign off on it to validate the hours you’ve spent with the child. It’s important that you ensure that it’s documented. If you’re spending as much time with Peter as it sounds, you may be able to wrap up your 18 month time requirement before April.”

 

Tony frowned. He shifted in his seat. “Jeanie, you know...at this point, Peter’s not a meter I’m running on, right?”

 

She stared at him for a moment of silence. She removed her glasses, relaxing back in her seat. 

 

“Look, Tony. A lot of time, judges assign this and it goes okay. Most of the time parolees lose interest and they get hauled back to court. I get the impression that this is not the case for you.” Her expression turned soft. “But you need to be prepared that after the program is up, that you may never see Peter again. His guardian may decide that’s not in his best interest.”

 

Tony shook his head. “May and I have already discussed that.”

 

Jeanie smiled at him, but in an uncertain way that made him nervous. “Tony, people say a lot of things. But you should prepare yourself. After this is over----even before this is over, at any time----Mrs. Parker could decide that she doesn’t want to continue with this arrangement. I’ve seen it happen before, and someone always ends up being hurt.” She leaned forward, her expression still soft and understanding. “It sometimes comes out of nowhere, and I just want you to be prepared for the worst.”

 

“May wouldn’t do that to Peter.” He insisted. He rubbed his hands together, eager to change the subject. “I will, however, definitely make sure to get that stuff documented. Can’t hurt, right?”

 

“Right.” She said with a nod.

 

“Is there anything else you need from me?”

 

She shook her head. “Nope. That’s it. Please, in the future, refrain from violating any of the NYPD’s proprietary assets.” She paused. “And please consider everything else we discussed.”

 

He nodded curtly, suddenly aware of how defensive he felt. He stood, pressing his hands to the lapels of his jacket. “Will do. And I will see you in...2 months? 3?”

 

“Whichever works best with your schedule, as long as you call in accordance with our requirements.”

 

He nodded again, buttoning the jacket and turning to leave. He opened the door to her office, and turned back, realizing something else.

 

“Mrs. Cook?”

 

She sighed deeply. “Yes, Mr. Stark?”

 

“You never answered my question.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Did they get him?”

 

She watched him quietly for a moment, then nodded. “Picked him up at a bar somewhere in Brooklyn on Saturday night for a drunk and disorderly. From what I understand, two of the witnesses from the night at the Bodega confirmed it was him.”

 

Tony closed his eyes in relief, and she continued. 

 

“I would not take this as an encouragement to continue your...vigilantism, Mr. Stark. The NYPD was lenient because it bore fruit, but if it were to happen again…”

 

“Understood.” He smiled tightly at her. “I looked forward to seeing you again soon, Mrs. Cook.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Happy was waiting outside the offices for him, and Tony slid into his town car without a word. When he tried to ask Tony about what the meeting had been about, he’d been waved off and Tony had redirected his attention to his phone. 

 

He may not have wanted to admit it, but Jeanie’s words about Peter had struck a nerve. Mostly because she was right. Yeah, sure, May was happy with him. Now.

 

But who knew what would happen after this was all over. After there was no obligation for them to continue. What if made her mad, or she just...changed her mind?

 

His mouth was dry. This whole fiasco ended up being a reality check he didn't know he had needed. Tony had hacked into a government system and taken confidential material to make sure this kid was safe. On parole! 

He had really not been thinking. He didn’t know what he was doing. He wasn’t Peter’s family; certainly wasn’t his dad or his Uncle. All it might take is for May to meet the right guy and marry him and then….

 

He swallowed. He closed his eyes, remembering his talk with Peter in the spring. Remembered how the boy had asked him if they were friends, if they could keep spending time together.

 

And they obviously could. Tony had most of when he’d spent time with Peter on a calendar, just for his own peace of mind. He was sure he was in some kind of surplus. But he didn’t want to frontload all of it. 

 

_But_. It may be in the best interest of both of them to pull back. He was definitely spending more time than he was required to. And he worried, now, what that might be doing to Peter and himself.

 

The idea that a few years could go by and this would all be a memory; as was the nature of all life and relationships, there was always the possibility it would end. But the prospect of it took his breath away.

 

He just. Had to put some distance there. Not as intimate or vulnerable, maybe not try and be as close. Keep it to friends. Be mindful of if it seemed like he was trying to be Peter’s family (he _wasn’t_ , he told himself; he’d never be that). Keep their days to public outings instead of the closed quarters of his penthouse or lab, maybe not say yes when May had a last minute emergency and she called him instead of Ellen or someone else for help.

 

He _loved_ that kid. He knew he did. He needed to make sure he did right by him. And if that meant being more cautious about how they spent their time and what they did then, well, then that was what he was going to do. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember! conflict is necessary for growth! or something like that, idk. 
> 
> let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony is kind of an idiot, but he figures it out along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this has taken forever! i'm so sorry. I rewrote it a few times, it's a little clunky but it's about where I want it to be. I just don't want it to get away from me.
> 
> probably should have put this earlier but: this is just my interpretation of how a situation like this might go, i have no real knowledge or understanding if these sorts of programs actually exist. the closest i kind of understand in the Big Brother/Big Sister ones, because a close friend has participated and i know how close he was with that kid. this is just my sandbox take :) 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy!

Tony was a busy guy. Even though Obediah did a lot of the heavy lifting at the top, even if Pepper scheduled his meetings and ran his PR, Tony was still the face of Stark Industries. There was always some project or another, some event he was supposed to speak at or a party he was supposed to attend for appearance's sake.

 

He’d been shirking those duties for too long. 

 

He tried to be as casual as one could be when becoming a flake. A declined invite to dinner here. A canceled outing there. He went through his calendar from the past year. He’d spent a lot* of time with Peter; he was way ahead of schedule on his time. He mentioned his meeting with Jeanie to May, who had no problem with signing off on his calendar. 

 

The fact that his little stunt had led to putting Ben’s murderer in jail played pretty well too.

 

May had explained it all to Peter at some point. Telling him that Tony had talked to the policeman and that the man from the park wasn’t going to be able to hurt anyone anymore. 

 

Peter had called Tony a hero. He’d thrown his arms around Tony’s leg, and grinned up at him so brightly it still shined in Tony’s mind and he was trying everything he could to shake it.

 

Tony was grateful that there were other people who were in the bodega that night. Peter was not going to have to be involved in the trial and as far as Peter knew, the bad guy who had hurt his Uncle was not going to hurt anyone ever again, and that was good enough for the kid.

 

Which made all of this worse, of course. Tony stared down at his cell phone, May’s name flashing on the screen. He hit the red button, ignoring the call. Pepper stared at him from across the table. 

 

“What are you doing?”

Tony shrugged. “I talked to her earlier, told her I couldn’t do this weekend because of a project I was working on. I think this is to reschedule, maybe. I’ll listen to the voicemail later.”

 

“What if it’s an emergency?”

 

“She can call Ellen. The Leed’s are one of their emergency contacts.”

 

Pepper’s expression darkened. “Tony, what are you _doing_?”

 

“I’m setting boundaries.”

 

Pepper shook her head, rising from the table. “You’re an idiot.”

 

“Not the first time you’ve said that.”

 

“That kid adores you. May trusts you. And you care about him. Why are you doing this?”

 

“Look,” He replied, sliding his phone onto the table. “Jeanie had a point. There may come a time when we’re not able to be around each other. I don’t want to set the kid up to be disappointed.”

 

“Mhmm. Because that’s what this is about. The _kid_ getting hurt.” She slid the chair in, gathering a notebook and the folders she’d been going over. “I think you’re being a jackass. For the record."

 

He watched as she walked away, shaking her head once more. He rolled his eyes, yelling after her.

 

“Noted!”

 

* * *

 

Grown-ups were weird.

 

_That_ is what Peter had decided. They were just strange. 

 

Stacy from next door had come over because Aunt May had to go to work suddenly. She was in the living room, watching some TV show where the people yelled at each other while the music sounded all dramatic. She was on the phone, laughing with someone, eating popcorn and drinking something in a glass bottle.

 

Peter had decided to just stay in his room. He had some Lego kits to put together that he’d gotten for his birthday. Today, it was an X-Wing, with its own little Luke Skywalker for decor. He closed his door to muffle the sound of Stacy’s conversation, leaning against the post of his bed.

 

He’d asked May to call Mr. Stark, and she had, but Mr. Stark hadn’t answered. In fact, Mr. Stark hadn’t really responded that much at all lately. Peter knew that Aunt May didn’t tell him stuff. He knew that there was sometimes she talked about Mr. Stark, and she’d make a face and that usually meant that he had done something she hadn’t liked.

 

It had been three weeks since the park. His stomach felt funny when he thought of it, and his face got warm.

 

He was pretty sure Mr. Stark was mad at him, for acting like such a baby.

 

Mr. Stark had been over two times since then. One time they went to a baseball game since it was near the end of the season, and another when he had taken Peter to see The Lion King on Broadway. Before that day at the park, they usually spent entire days together before going to something like that but both times, Tony had shown up right before they had to be where they were going for the day and dropped him off right after. Peter could tell something was wrong. 

 

It made him feel bad. Scared. Not sure of what was going on. Peter had had fun both times because Tony had been with him but he’d seemed...Peter didn’t know what the word was.

 

Mr. Stark had seemed weird. Not like what Peter was used to.

 

His brow furrowed, pressing a piece to the core of what would become the jet he was making. Mr. Stark had always talked to him like he was a person; like he wasn’t just some little kid who didn't know anything. He never looked at Peter like he was sad for him. He didn’t want anyone feeling sad for him. Aunt May looked at him like that a lot, especially after Uncle Ben died. 

 

Now, Mr. Stark seemed like he didn’t know how to talk to Peter.

 

He bit his lip, setting the Lego down and rubbing at his eyes. They began to feel prickly, and his stomach hurt again. He didn’t want to ask Aunt May about it because he didn’t want her to get mad at Mr. Stark. She might not let him hang out with Mr. Stark anymore if she got _really_ mad at him. And he was afraid to ask Mr. Stark. He didn’t want to make him madder than he already seemed to be. He didn’t want Tony to go away.

 

This was hard. His hands balled into fists and he pressed them down into the carpet. Why did that man have to be in the park? Why did Peter have to be a stupid wimp about it? 

 

The only thing he could think of was to not ask. To not mention that anything was wrong and to show Tony he could be like a grown-up, and not be afraid or sad or annoying. He’d hate for Tony to think he was annoying. 

 

He picked up his Lego and began to work on it again. That was exactly what he would do. He wouldn’t whine or complain about when they went out. He knew that Tony had a really important job too. He knew that that meant sometimes they couldn’t hang out. And he had to not be a baby about it.

 

He could do that. Peter would _show_ Mr. Stark that he could do that.

 

And then, maybe everything would go back to the way it used to be.

  
  


* * *

 

“Mr. Stark?”   
  


The kid was licking an ice cream cone. Tony frowned to himself. The kid had wanted the ice cream, but he was just now realizing early October was probably a little chilly for the treat, and briefly, he considered if Peter would be able to eat dinner later. 

 

Of course, he was gonna drop the kid off with his aunt, so it really wasn’t his problem.

 

“What’s up, Pete?”

 

“Can Penguins fly?”

 

Because that’s where they were currently, seated out in front of at the Brooklyn Aquarium. Tony had managed to schedule a private VIP tour for the both of them and they were waiting for the guide to show up now. It would last an hour; Tony figured he’d buy the kid a stuffed bird afterward and usher him home as the sun began to set. It was a perfect, compact activity he’d been trying to stick to.

 

“Mr. Stark?” Peter asked again, looking up at the man curiously, ice cream momentarily forgotten. It was sliding down onto his hands, and Tony sighed.

 

“Pete, kid…” He thrust napkins at him. “No, they can’t fly. What, are you scared of them?”

 

Peter shook his head. “Nope. Aunt May and I watched a show on ‘em over the weekend, but I couldn’t ‘member.” He shrugged. “So do they just run around like this to go places?”   


 

“I think they can swim pretty fast,” Tony added. “And they slide down the ice on their bellies sometimes. They probably move pretty fast.” 

 

Peter grinned. “Like a sled?"

 

Tony laughed a little. “Exactly like a sled.”

 

Peter made a content noise and bit at his ice cream again, close enough to the cone that he seemed to be growing bored. Probably for the best; Tony wanted to get him to wash his hands before the tour. He’d arranged for Peter to even get to throw some fish to the animals, and he wasn’t sure mint chocolate chip ice cream was part of their approved diet.

 

The tour lasted an hour, and it was only the two of them with the guide. Tony made sure to take a couple photos and a video for May to share with her later, and the guide was good about answering Peter’s many questions about the birds, and he even got to pet one before throwing some small, silver fish into the pool and watching the animals swarm.

 

“They do slide!” Peter crowed, watching as the penguins torpedoed down the small shelves of their habitat, crafted, Tony assumed, for that very purpose.

 

“Of course they do. I wouldn’t lie to you, kid.”

 

Peter barely even heard him, enraptured and pressing his face against the plexiglass that allowed him to watch the birds swimming around. Tony winced at his own words.

 

_I’ve never lied,_ he thought to himself. 

 

It was merely...a different version of the truth, when he’d cancel for a work thing, or a schedule change. 

 

Tony gave Peter a few minutes to watch them before stepping forward to tap him on the shoulder. “Okay, kid, time to give the birds a break. It’s about time we gotta get you back to your Aunt.”

 

“Ohhh kay.” The kid sighed deeply as if Tony was asking him to sacrifice something great, and politely thanked the guide and shook her hand as he turned back to Tony, ready to leave. They made their way to the car where Happy had waited for the past couple hours, reading a book.

 

“Are you gonna stay for dinner?” Peter asked on the drive home. Tony, messing around on his phone, barely looked up at him.

 

“I’m sorry, kid, I have...I have a lot of stuff I’ve got going on. I don’t think I’m gonna make it.”

 

He heard Peter sigh, his jacket scraping the side of the seat as the boy slumped against it. Tony snuck a look, watching as the kid turned to look out the window from his booster seat. 

 

He pressed his tongue to his teeth and forced himself to look back at his phone. Peter would be fine. He’d probably forget about it later. They’d spent the whole afternoon together, almost four hours. Peter had had a good time, Tony had had a good time, and the kid had learned something---he didn’t see where the downside was here. 

 

They pulled up to the apartment building. Tony unbuckled Peter and the slid out after the kid climbed out of the car, following close behind. They climbed up the stairs to make sure Peter got where he needed to without too much issue. May could hear them coming and had the door open, greeting them with a smile. Peter walked in without much of a look back and when Tony stopped just outside the threshold, May frowned.

 

“You’re not coming in to eat?” 

 

“No, I already told the kid, I have...a thing.”

 

It was an excuse he’d used earlier, just after the incident at the park, but now it had a little bit of reality behind it. The weapon he’d been working through specifications, for now, had a contract of intent tied to it and Tony had a deadline of June of the following year. Multiple systems, for the US military and beyond---they were going to call it the Jericho.

 

“The... _kid_ ,” May repeated, examining him. “Is everything alright, Tony? This whole drop and dash thing doesn’t really seem like you.”

 

“I run a billion dollar company, May. It’s gotten a little crazy lately, and I’m busy.”

 

“Well, we’ve known you for almost a year and you’ve always owned a billion dollar company, but you've canceled on him twice in the past month.” Her eyes narrowed, and she walked into the hall, letting the door close a little behind her. Peter had already headed into his room. “Does this have anything to do with what happened a few weeks ago?”

 

“May,” Tony pocketed his cell phone, folding his hands. “Absolutely not. I’m just a little busy right now is all. Lots of stuff happening, lots of contracts being signed. 

 

She stared at him. “Okay then. Well, I made enough, unless you’re sure.” She looked up at him, scrutinizing him. 

 

He shivered. Her look was unsettling, taking him apart. He swallowed, focusing on a point behind her head. 

 

“I am really sorry. Maybe we can plan for, say next weekend? I can bring something or hey, maybe you guys can even come over. Have you been to our offices before? My penthouse, it’s at the top level. I have a pretty decent sized dining room, we can do dessert and everything.”

 

She was shaking her head. “Tony, it’s fine. Dinner next weekend will be fine. Whichever place works best, please let me know. But most of all... “ She stepped towards. “Just don’t set expectations or make promises you can’t keep. You used to stay and eat all the time after a day out. It’s getting harder to explain to him. It’s almost like---” She let her words fall off, waiting for an explanation as she stared at him.

 

He looked away. “May, I have a couple of really big projects. That’s all. I promise.” He began to walk back towards the elevator. He pointed at her. “Seriously, dinner. Next weekend, not this one, this one I’m already booked. My place or yours, you decide. No canceling, scouts honor.” 

 

“Okay. It’s a plan then. I’m going to tell Peter. That means you _can not_  cancel on us.”

 

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He pressed the button the elevator. “Enjoy your dinner, sorry again I can’t stay. Call me about the weekend.” The doors opened and he smiled at her. “Bye May, have a good night!”

 

She stared at the spot where he had stood. The whole thing felt wrong, like Tony wasn’t being completely honest with her, that he was telling her what he thought she wanted to hear; it felt like a salesperson's pitch, overemphasized but low in value. She knew one thing for certain though.

 

He’d better not cancel on them this time. 

 

* * *

 

Tony found himself thinking of Peter and May more that week than he’d let himself before. The way May had looked at him after the visit to the aquarium had unnerved him. She was seeing straight through his bullshit and if there was anything he felt he knew for certain about May Parker it was that he did not want to be on her bad side.

 

He couldn’t forget the way the boy had sighed in disappointment and looked away when Tony told him no to dinner. How Peter had just shuffled into his room without a goodbye.  

 

Despite spending the day with the kid, Tony was still avoiding any real conversation. He was still passing on any substantive question the kid asked him. He was still, very pointedly ignoring, how the kid looked at him when he told him no to something that 6 months before would have been an emphatic yes.

 

This was for his own good. Peter would understand that one day.

 

Besides. There was still the college fund Tony had started. That certainly would remain. Regardless of how their relationship played out, Peter would eventually have access to a small trust to help him with those expenses. So if all he had was the memory of Tony being aloof and moments that confirmed Tony Stark was exactly the man everyone said he was, at least he’d also have the money part to go with it.

 

Tony Stark wasn’t crazy.

 

Peter was a good kid. He was smart. He had potential. And a couple of hundred thousands of dollars was paltry to a billionaire. It was nothing, but it would be everything to this kid, and this kid deserved everything. 

 

He was in his lab, trying to distract himself from all of this when his phone rang, pulling him from his thoughts. He hit the speaker button and kept fiddling with whatever was in his hands.

 

“Talk to me.”

 

“Tony,” Obediah’s voice came from the speakers. “I have some news concerning the Jericho project. Have you made progress on that at all?”

 

“Sure have Obe.” He pushed himself away from the desk, spinning around in his chair as he came to a stop in front of a set of blueprints. “I figured out the issue with the propulsion mechanism and I think I got a handle on the targeting function.”

 

“Excellent!” Obediah sounded pleased, which was nice. It would at least get him off Tony’s back a little bit “So. I scheduled a meeting with the client, everyone who is involved is going to be there. It was a real shit show trying to pin everyone down so I need you to be here for it.”

 

“In California?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Tony shrugged. “Sure. When?”

 

“Next weekend. Saturday night to be specific. Rented out the event space at that steakhouse you like and everything.”

 

Tony’s heart pretty much stopped. He opened his mouth to say something...to say anything, but nothing came out. His mouth went dry.

 

“Tony?”

 

“That’s...really soon.” He rasped, then coughed. “It can’t be any other day? I...I really can’t…”

 

“Tony,” Obediah’s tone was ominous. “This could kill the deal if you can’t be here, it’s the biggest project of the fiscal year.”

 

Tony closed his eyes. After weeks of using his business as mostly an excuse, he really needed it now and it was gonna screw him hard. The boy who cried wolf come to life. He swallowed and sighed.

 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll be there.” He ran a hand over his face. “Is that it?”

 

“For now. I’ll call later with more details. I really appreciate you making the time.”

 

Tony rolled his eyes. Like he’d had a _choice_. “No problem, Obe, you know the company always comes first. I’ll talk to you later then.”

 

“Will do. Take care, Tony.”

 

He pressed the end button and groaned. It had only been yesterday that they decided that May and Peter were going to come to his penthouse, that he was gonna have his chef make some chicken dish he knew they would like, that they would have dessert and play games and spend time with him and Pepper. He was actually kind of looking forward to it; May being around always made his time with Peter feel less serious than it'd come to seem. 

 

She was probably gonna kill him. At the very least…

 

He began to sweat. Maybe this would be the thing that made her mad. That is something Jeanie had said could happen. He thought back to the scrutinizing look that had been on her face a few days before, how she’d been examining him and thinking about what he was trying to do. Maybe this would be the nail in that coffin. 

 

It was unavoidable. He picked up his phone.

 

He might as well get it over with now. 

 

* * *

 

The dinner went well. Tony had been able to answer all the questions he needed to and then some from the Joint Chiefs and other DoD bigwigs. It’d even given him a few ideas. He elected to stay through Sunday and fly back Monday morning to give himself a little bit of a break before work started up again. He went straight to the SI offices that Monday morning after landing, figuring he would get right to work. 

 

What he did not expect when he walked into the main office was May Parker standing in the middle of a conference room by the head of the table, having what looked to be a pleasant conversation with---

 

Pepper Potts. 

 

The two of them stopped when they heard him enter the room, and their expressions immediately hardened. May crossed her arms.

 

Uh oh.

 

“May! What a...what a pleasant surprise!” He slid his phone into his pocket and walked towards the table. “What are you doing here? Is everything with Peter---” 

 

“Peter’s fine.” She replied flatly. “At least for the most part.”

 

“The most part?”

 

“Yeah, you see, Peter was acting a little weird on Saturday. You know, on account of you canceling. Again. After you promised not to. It took a little needling, but I finally got him to talk to me and it turns out, my 6-year-old thinks that the guy who has become, _quote_ , his 2nd best friend after Ned, _unquote_ , is mad at him because he got scared when he saw the guy who murdered his Uncle at the park 6 weeks ago.”

 

Uh oh. Again. Tony swallowed hard, his heart twisting. He’d never wanted Peter to worry about this. He hadn’t really wanted Peter to even _know_ ; he’d hoped that because they were still spending time together, just a little less, he may not even notice. The whole reason he was doing this was for Peter’s well being. 

 

“May…”

 

“Uh uh, I’m not finished.” She moved her hand to the strap of her purse, grabbing the back of a swivel chair with the other. “So I came down, fully expecting just to yell at your poor receptionist and probably not get further than that when Pepper appeared and invited me upstairs, and shed some light on this situation.”

 

Tony sent his assistant a betrayed look, and Pepper didn’t look the least bit sorry about it at all.

 

“I get that you think I may not let you see Peter again someday. And you know what, you’re absolutely right. I would finish up our commitment and wipe my hands clean of you if I had to, you know why, Tony?”

 

“I assume you’re about to tell me.” He replied in a small voice. 

 

“That kid is everything to me. So when he goes to sulk in his room, when he gets all teary-eyed and sad because you canceled again, because you’re afraid that something _might_ happen, you are right that I will keep you from seeing him. Is that what you want, Tony? Do you want to stop being around when this is all over?”

 

Tony’s heart began to beat hard, the blood pounding in his ear. “No. No, that’s not what I want.”

 

“Then why am I here having this discussion? Things have clearly changed. You used to spend more than enough time with him. You listened to him, you talked to him, now it feels like you’re just tolerating this whole thing.” She shook her head. “Is it the thing with the police? Because we would never have asked you to do that…”

 

“It’s not, May. That was 100% my decision. It has nothing to do with what happened at the park.”

 

“He thinks you think he was a baby. He thinks that because he was scared, now you don’t want to be his friend.”

 

“That’s ridiculous.”

 

“Yeah, well, he’s six, Tony, and all he knows is that after that happened, you don’t treat him like you used to.” 

 

“I…” He searched for something that was close to the truth without having to lay himself too bare. Something that didn’t have to do with the fact that he knew he wasn’t an acceptable role model for a small child. Something that didn’t have to do with knowing he was a disaster and that it was inevitable that he would screw up, and May would decide he wasn’t a good fit in Peter’s life, and then that would be it.

 

Except. He already _had_ screwed up. He was hurting the kid now, and he was lying about it.

 

His shoulders sagged. “I know. I’m sorry.”

 

“I’m done with sorry’s. I want an answer, I want something to tell him that’s real. Do I need to prepare him for this ending in May?”

 

“I don’t want it to.”

 

“Okay then.” She sighed. “I just want to make sure we’re on the same page. I don’t want to be crazy about this. I just need to know what the game plan is here. I have to be able to tell him it’s okay, even if you are unusually busy. I need to know that I'm not lying to him because you’re actually one foot out the door.”

 

Tony nodded. “I got it.”

 

“I know it’s scary to care about someone like this. And I know, you not being directly related or anything like that, I understand why you would be nervous. But as of right now, I don’t want you to stop being in his life. I think having a male role model is good for him. But if this is what you want, because you’re afraid---”

 

“I’m not afraid.” Tony insisted sharply. He looked away from the women staring at him. “May, you know who I am. You know…” He made a motion with his hand. “ _Everyone_ knows I’m not always Mr. Reliable.”

 

Pepper breathed a sigh. “Oh, Tony…”

May shrugged, an impassive expression on her face. "Well, the nice thing about being the adult in this situation is that you get to choose if you want to try and be Mr. Reliable." She hitched her purse on her shoulder, walking closer to him. "I know you're a very busy person. Peter can even understand that. But we both can tell it hasn't been just that." She crossed her arms. "You might disappoint him occasionally, but that’s life. Just make sure it’s the exception and not the rule, and that there are real reasons for it other than just not wanting to deal with it. I’ll give you a little bit to think about what you want to do. As long as you stay good to him, I want you here. That may take some effort on your part. But if that’s too much for you, I understand that too, I really do. Kids are hard.”

 

She smiled tightly at the both of them as she turned to leave, thanking Pepper as she walked past. Tony stayed silent until she walked out the glass doors of the conference room and scowled at his assistant.

 

“Traitor.”

 

* * *

 

In the end, it wasn’t that hard at all to decide. Tony loved being around that kid. He fit in well with the dynamic Peter and May had. Peter enjoyed it. And it was scary. And he would have to work on being a better person.

 

It was as easy as deciding that Peter was worth trying for.

 

He called May. He wanted to explain to her that he was going to try. That he was going to strive to be there when he was needed but to make it clear that he had other commitments, so he might not always be able to but that he wouldn’t make excuses or cancel unless it was absolutely necessary. 

 

May picked up on the second ring. 

 

“I assume you made a decision.”

 

“I have a question first,” Tony began, shifting the phone to wedge it between his shoulder and his ear. “Did you say he called me his _second_  best friend after Ned?”

 

May chuckled. “Well, you have been being kind of a jerk lately.”

 

“Fair.” He granted. “I guess I’m gonna have to make up for that, huh?”

 

“You should try. If you’re up for it.” May paused. “You think you’re up for it?”

 

Tony smiled. “Oh May, haven’t you heard about me in the news? I’m up for anything.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  


 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony has a talk with Peter, and then...Christmas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm a lying liar who lies when they plot out stories and can't plan for anything. or, the christmas spirit got me about a week ago and a large part of this is christmas-y, even if it's a week late. i just really want to write something like fluff guys, it's my only excuse. all my work is unbeta'd, so if you see something really wrong, comments are welcome.

**October 2007**

Tony was a mechanic by trade. He knew how to fix things, to build things, knew how to troubleshoot machines that were broken down and in need of repair.

Sometimes, he wondered if that was because he was so spectacular at making a mess of things first.

Tony knew machines. He understood how an engine fit together, how pistons and valves and all the rest worked together to make something move. He could fit part A into part B and he could figure out ways to make it better. 

People, though. People he had a harder time figuring out.

Little people seemed to present even more of a challenge. 

A few days after his phone call with May, he woke up late in the morning after spending all night in his workshop. He drank some coffee, showered, read the paper and then headed towards Queens. He had a meeting with Ellen Leeds about the Center---their plans for the SI grants were close to being solidified but they had to iron out a few of the details.

And then it would be on to the Parkers. 

He’d decided upon the Children’s Museum in Manhattan. They had some cool science exhibits, some areas where kids could climb around and have some tactile experience, and then, he figured, for lunch, he could sit the kid down over pizza and they could talk.

The plan in action, he found, was difficult.

Peter sat across from him, munching on his food, sipping on water, eyes focusing on anything but Tony in front of him. There were hundreds of kids here, to be fair; it was a Saturday at the end of October, starting to get cold, everyone was moving inside and there were plenty of people making noises, and making scenes.

“Pete,” Tony began, setting a half-eaten slice in front of him. Peter’s eyes flickered to his face, then back towards the crowd of milling children. “Pete, c’mon kiddo, I’m trying to talk to you.”

The boy gave him a full-on side eye before setting his own piece down with a heavy sigh, folding his hands in front of him. Tony hated the look on the kid's face. He was familiar with it, because he knew he’d mastered it himself. The withering stare, the resigned slump of the shoulders. Peter was expecting some bland excuse, something before they moved onto something benign.

It was important to Tony that he make sure Peter knew that wasn’t all this was. 

“Hey,” Tony started. “I’m serious. Peter, I owe you an apology.”

“What's that?”

Tony smiled softly. “It means I need to tell you that I'm sorry. I haven't been a very good friend for the past few weeks and need to make sure you know that none of that is because of you.”

The boys face got pink and he looked down at the table. He started playing with his hands, shifting in his seat. “It's okay. I know you're real busy and it's really important.”

“It can be. But you're really important too, kid. And I'm really sorry I made you think you weren't.” He leaned forward and tipped Peter's chin up gently, making sure the boy was looking at him. “And most importantly, you are not a baby or a wimp for being afraid of that man. After what happened, anyone would be scared. It's okay to be scared of stuff. Everyone gets scared sometime.”

Peter blinked up at him. “Even you?” 

“Even me.” He leaned forward in his seat. “I was scared there for a little bit, that we might not get to be friends very much longer. Sometimes people just stop being friends. And I thought  that if we didn’t hang out as much, it would be better, but it wasn’t.” A contrite look came over his face. “I’m really sorry, Peter. I won’t do it again.”

Peter looked up at him, clearly uncertain. “Are you gonna stay for dinner tonight?”

Tony nodded. “I already told your Aunt I would. You guys are coming over next weekend, too.”

Peter frowned. “That’s what you said last time.”

“Well, this is different. You just have to trust me.”

Peter eyed him warily, then shrugged, returning to his pizza. “Can we go upstairs next? Ned said there’s a cool room where you can learn about electricity and play around with some stuff.”   


Tony sighed but didn’t press further. “Sure, Pete. We can totally do that. May’s expecting us at 5, though, and we still have the movie, so how’s about we leave after that?”

“Okay.” 

Tony had hoped for a little more of a reaction, an acceptance of his apology, but he couldn’t blame the kid for being skeptical. It just meant he had to be better about all of this now. Words were great, but it would be the follow through that regained Peter’s trust. 

He could do that. 

If he wanted Peter in his life, he had to do it.

 

* * *

 

**December 2007**

Snow fell outside. Tony was, by his nature, a SoCal kid. He wasn't a fan of being out in the snow---but his parents had had a cabin at Big Bear, and he had to admit, there was something about being trapped inside with a fireplace when it snowed outside that made everything extra comfy.

It was late on Christmas Eve. Close to the midnight hour, when he imagined kids all over the city tucking in, excited to see what their pull for the morning would be. There was never any of that for him, not really---his father was rich. If he wanted something, he often had it before he even thought to ask for it. The things he had really ever wanted were intangible and nothing his father had ever thought to provide.

Luckily, his mother always had things planned for them to do. Baking, or wrapping presents, or even volunteer work on Christmas morning.

Tony hadn’t thought about that last one in a long time. Maybe he should start that again.

He was in his workshop, as per usual for any late night. Pepper was in her suite a few floors below, Rhodey would be over for a late dinner and nightcap on Christmas night after spending time with his own family. It wasn’t anything crazy but it was a tradition, and Tony looked forward to not having to do anything extravagant for the holidays. Hell, he’d barely had a tree!

His phone rang.

“JARVIS?”

“It’s Ms. May Parker, sir.”   


Tony frowned. 10:30 on Christmas Eve, you’d think they’d be busy with putting the kiddo to bed or church or something but…

“Answer it.”

A second or two later, a quick, breathy voice broke the line. 

“Tony? Oh thank god you’re awake, I’m so sorry to call at this time of night.”

“It’s fine, May, it’s fine...is everything okay?” The space between his eyes wrinkled, and he flipped a wrench where he stood in place.

“Yeah, it’s fine, Peter’s okay, he was just about to go to sleep so _Santa_ could come but…” She sighed. “The hospital called. They want me to come in around 3 am for at least a 12-hour shift, holiday pay, and they’re so short staffed….I know it’s Christmas, but we already did our gifts earlier, and it’s double time. I would have called the Leed’s but they’re with family out of town---”

“May, you don’t have to justify this,” Tony assured. “I don’t have a family or anything like that, I don’t even have anything planned until maybe tomorrow night. Do you need one of us to come to grab him now?”

He heard a huge sigh of relief. “He needs to go to sleep soon, he’s watching the Charlie Brown special and dozing. But...are you sure, Tony? I know with the snow and…”

“May, it’s fine.” He assured once more. “It’ll be nice. Give me about an hour, I’ll have Happy over with the car. Quick clarification, am I cleared to give him presents of indiscriminate value? From Santa?”

She laughed. “Nothing too much. And by too much, I mean like $100.”

Tony scoffed. “Peanuts. But fine. I have a few hours, I’ll make do.” He smiled. “Happy will be over soon to get the kiddo. I’ll make sure we’re prepared.” He paused. “I’m sorry you have to work on Christmas, May.”

“It’s not that bad,” She sighed, and he could hear a bit of a smile on her face. “Honestly, we only eat Chinese food and watch that stupid Christmas Story movie on repeat. I think he’ll have a great time with you guys.”

He made a noise of assent. “Well. Get a little rest if you can before going in. Keep me posted if you think it’s gonna go longer than what you think. And Happy will be there soon.” He paused. “Merry Christmas, May.”

“Merry Christmas, Tony.”

 

* * *

 

The kid was half awake when Happy lugged him up to the Penthouse. He went to sleep pretty easily, but Tony had to promise an extra visit from Santa, and Christmas cookie baking and other surprises for the next day to get the kid to put his head on the pillow.

“Honestly,” Happy breathed. “How she does it by herself is a mystery.”

“She’s a powerhouse,” Tony mused, watching the boy sleep from the doorway. He looked at his watch, stepping back and closing the door so only a sliver of light snuck in. 12:25 am. “JARVIS---any word from the stores?”

The AI began to speak. “I ordered items similar to what you requested, sir, from local toy distributors open late for the holiday. There were 6 stores available for delivery, there will be approximately 10 packages delivered in the next 3 hours.”

“Perfect.” He whispered. There was a tree in the great room---Pepper had insisted on it, for the mood of their Christmas evening---and he had made sure to ask for wrapping paper with the gifts. It would be a late night, but he figured, it would be a fun one come the morning time. He smiled at the thought.

The kid slept in until a little after 9. Tony supposed it wasn’t that surprising since he didn’t actually get to bed until so late. There hadn’t been much they’d ordered, just enough to show that Santa had come to visit, with a couple of gifts tucked away for Pepper and Rhodey later that night. Tony had stayed up until about 4 am and slept a couple of hours. When the child emerged from the room, Tony was sitting at the kitchen island, a cup of coffee steaming in front of him. He smiled at the boy, who still had a bleary, sleep heavy look on his face.

“Looks like that call I made to my friends last night went through, kiddo. Seems like Santa made an extra stop last night.”

That did it. Peter’s eyes shot open and his entire body swung towards the austere living area, adorned with a few simple couches, a massive television on the wall and an ornate tree that had been chosen by Pepper weeks ago at some charity event, delivered and decorated by a consultant. Gifts sat wrapped under it, in colorful, cheap wrapping paper, the only available at the last minute. Peter squealed. 

“Presents!” He took off towards the decorations, sliding on his knees as he neared them. It wasn’t too much---Tony had promised May after all---but Peter didn’t seem to care. He scrounged through them, eyes darting at the labels, before settling back with a frown.

“Something wrong Pete?” Tony asked, walking over to join him. The boy turned, face twisted as if he were trying to solve some problem.

“Mr. Stark, I don’t think Santa brought anything for you.”

Tony held back a laugh. “Ah, well, turns out, maybe I wasn’t such a good boy this year.” He sipped at his coffee. “Santa really just focuses on kids, Pete. It’s okay. Pepper will be up in a few minutes then we can start getting into them.”

Peter shook his head, then turned back to the pile. “Here,” Peter randomly picked a package from the tree and carried it over to Tony. “You can have one of mine.”

Tony stared down at the kid, trying to ignore the heavy feeling in his throat. Peter’s expression was so earnest and kind, and Tony, not for the first nor last time, was sure Peter being paired with him had to be some cosmic mistake. He gave Peter a wobbly smile and leaned closer to the boy.

“No, buddy, that’s for you. Don’t worry,” He settled his hand softly on Peter’s shoulder. “I have everything I need.”

 

* * *

 

The rest of the day passed quickly. Pepper helped with getting breakfast together, then later in the day, baking some cookies. Tony had professed his undying gratitude for her spending one of her only days off during the year helping him, but she had waved him off---Tony wasn’t the only person Peter had charmed, and she had not even hesitated to spend the day with them.

“Elliot will be here to start the roast at 4:30. Rhodey will be over a little after that.” Tony had informed her, and Peter had looked up curiously. Tony'd mentioned Rhodey a few times to the boy, and he’d tried to organize a meeting between the two but it had just never worked out; he supposed a Christmas dinner would be as good a time as any.

May had called when her shift had ended at 3 and offered to pick Peter up but Tony could hear the exhaustion in her voice and suggested that they keep him until the next morning so she could get some rest. She had waffled a little---it was Christmas, after all---but in the end, she had agreed, and talked to Peter on the phone for a little bit before saying her goodbyes and thanking Tony once more. 

They finished up the cookies and Peter settled in the living room to watch some Christmas cartoons as he played with one of the gifts Santa had brought him. Tony stood back in the kitchen, sipping on some wine from a bottle he was splitting with Pepper, who was watching the boy fondly from a distance.

“You’re really good with him.” She said softly. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m kind of amazed at how you took to this.” She looked over at him, a soft smile on her face. “I’m proud of you, Tony.”

He bowed his head, sheepish. “I mean, it’s not like I really had a choice.”

“I think you did. You could have kept doing what you were doing a few months ago.” She sipped at her wine. “You could have kept him much more distant than you are. I mean, you’re playing Santa for him, Tony.”

“Yeah…” He replied quietly. “But he’s hard not to love.”

Pepper’s eyes widened and Tony looked away, not completely having meant to say that out loud. She stayed quiet for a moment, then looked back over at the boy, who was testing out his Lego handiwork by flying the half-finished model jet through the air in front of him, a grin on his face. She nodded.

“You’re right about that.”

“I want to thank you,” Tony began, clearing his throat and changing the subject. “I know you have New Years with your mom and sisters, and that this week is kind of your only downtime in the whole year. You didn’t have to be down here all day…”

“It was my pleasure, Tony. This isn't work for me. I enjoy hanging out with Peter just as much as you do. He’s really a great kid.”

He gazed at her softly, unable to keep a small smile from his lips. “You ever think about getting one of those for yourself?”

She smirked, looking back at him. “I already have my hands full with the kid I’m already taking care of.”

He grinned back, a chuckle coming from the back of his throat. “And not nearly as well behaved as Peter is.”

“Oh, he’s not so bad.” She held his gaze until he broke it off, turning his attention back to his wine glass, letting his fingers settle on the stem.

He couldn’t. Think of her like that; she was his assistant, helping him was her job. Couldn’t even consider it. It was just the wine, and the day, and the temporary domestic bliss they were playing at.

When he looked back to her, she had settled on a barstool, watching Peter, a smile on her face.

This was nice though, he thought to himself. This was really nice.

 

* * *

 

Rhodey showed up shortly after and Tony’s chef took over eventually in the kitchen, preparing a meal for four. Pepper had offered her space while the food was being prepared and Peter followed the adults down, a few of his gifts in hand to play with.

He’d taken to Rhodey immediately, Tony observed with only a little envy. _Apparently_ , being in the military and flying jet planes gave him a few more extra cool points, and Peter had spent the first half hour of his visit peppering the man with questions about it.

Tony was happy to see them getting along though. He didn’t miss the looks Rhodey sent him when the kid would make some joke or say something about Tony that made him smile. Tony would roll his eyes or shake his head, trying to downplay the obvious bond between the two, but he couldn’t keep the smile off his own face.

“He is clearly crazy about you,” Rhodey said later, watching the kid from the kitchen space. Peter was sitting on the couch with Pepper, watching cartoons, slumped onto a pillow, his head dropping more and more frequently.

It wasn’t surprising. It’d been a long day full of excitement and it was pushing close to 9 pm. He’d gotten the kid to brush his teeth and into his pajamas already, and it wasn’t such a big deal that he was up so late---it was, after all, Christmas.

“Well, he’s a kid, he sees the good in people.”

“Can’t see something that isn’t there.”

Tony rolled his eyes, rubbing his hand up his neck to hide the blush that might have been forming.  “I do think I did pretty good, if I do say so myself.”

Rhodey chuckled. “This was really nice. A nice change a pace from my mom’s with the nieces and nephews. I love them but they are…” His eyes widened, and he let out a heavy breath. “They’re a lot.”

“Peter can be a bit of a handful sometimes, but it’s always fun.” Tony said with a smile. “You’ll have to come by more, I think he liked you too.”

“He seems like a really good kid.” Rhodey looked over at him, across the kitchen island. “Sort of lucked out didn’t you?”

Tony couldn't keep the wistful smile from his face, thinking of the pep talk Rhodey had given him just after his sentencing, when Tony was so sure this was going to be nothing but an unmitigated disaster. “Yeah, I sorta did.”

They chatted a little more before Rhodey told him that he really did have to actually leave. Pepper waved goodbye to him from the couch and he told Tony to tell Peter goodbye for him, since the boy was passed out on the couch.

Tony walked back to the living space, taking in the scene. The lights were almost all off, except for one in the kitchen and the light of the tree. Some Christmas cartoon played quietly on the television.

“ _I don’t have a family,_ ” He’d told May last night when she'd called, just to let her know that this wasn't interrupting anything.

Peter was asleep on the couch, Pepper next to him reading her tablet. Several plates of cookies sat on the coffee table, wrapped in plastic for traveling the next day and there were remnants of wrapping paper all over the floor that hadn’t been bagged. Tony felt this swell of contentment settle in his chest, and against all usual instinct, didn’t try to ignore it or push it away.

Maybe he was wrong, about not having a family. 

Maybe he kinda did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there is really just one chapter left; this was all going to be one massively big last chapter, but i felt like capping this last scene here. A few people have mentioned the Afghanistan stuff, and i just want to say that will be addressed, but in an interlude type, separate story that i'm gonna post shortly after this wraps up. this is definitely going to be a series of approx 3 fics, so. i appreciate everyone reading and commenting :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi. i'm SO SORRY this has taken so long. Jeez, I could have sworn this was updated well into January and now I feel terrible. This chapter took a bit to write and ended up as a hybrid of 3 drafts, so if there are any mistakes, please let me know (there shouldn't be, i read these like 4 times before I post but it's non-beta'd). i hope you guys like it!

**February 2008**

 

“Tony.”

 

Tony’s brow raised, his head tilting towards the sound of the voice from the speaker on the wall. He’d been waiting for this; the call had taken a little longer than he had expected, but the exasperation on the other end was spot on. He smirked.

 

“Hey May. I take it you got my email.”

 

“I thought I made it clear that any large gifts for Peter had to go through me.”

 

He frowned. “Uh, yes. That’s why I sent you the email.” He swiveled around on his stool, walking over to the other side of his lab, wiping his hands on a rag by the door. “And technically, it’s not just for Peter, it’s for you and for Ellen and her kids as well.”

 

“It’s too much.”

 

“Technically,” He repeated, throwing the rag over his shoulder. “It’s nothing. I own the plane. My house is on the beach, it’s big enough for all of us. For a week. In Malibu.” He paused. “Are you saying you don’t want a vacation on the beach, at no cost to you? Sunning with Pepper and Ellen while Rhodes and I corral the kiddos?”

 

There was a heavy pause on the other end. “Tony, I have a job.”

 

“Which! I have already contacted and, did you know, in the event of a donation, they are incredibly receptive---”

 

“ _Tony_.”

 

“Fine.” He sighed. “I can see how that would be over the line, I promise, I was completely discreet. But you know, another perk of me owning the plane is we can fly anytime we want so we can schedule around whatever works best for you guys. Are you telling me you can’t get time off 6 weeks out? When was the last time you took a vacation?”

 

“Tony, I need the money, is the issue.”

 

“You don’t get paid time off?”

 

“That’s not really the issue.”

 

“Then what is?”

 

She sighed again. She paused. “I don’t know, Tony, it just feels...needlessly extravagant…”

 

“How did you find out my nickname from grad school?”

 

She didn’t laugh. “Tony.”

 

He dropped his head to his chest. “I know you think I use money to solve all my problems. And...that’s fair because I do. But this isn’t about solving a problem. There’s no problem to solve.” He grabbed a pen on his workbench, flipping it between his thumb and index finger. “I just want to do something nice for some friends. I know you and Ellen work so hard. And I thought the kids would like the beach, and maybe some Disney, and _you said_ I would need to do something to make up for what an ass I was last October. It’s really no great expense. Please let me do this for you.”

 

It was like throwing a bomb into an open field. The chances that the shrapnel would fire back, injuring him grievously he figured was about 50/50. But he heard May sigh once more, and he swore he could just imagine her eyes rolling on the other end of the call.

 

“The boys have spring break the second week in March. I’ll talk to Ellen and see what we can do.”

 

* * *

 

Six weeks, and two days in Malibu later, May approached Tony at 9:30 at night, sunglasses on her face. She, Ellen and Pepper had spent the day on the beach with someone catering to their every need while Tony and Rhodey took the kids out for a day to Disneyland. May had been a little sorry to have missed it, but she hated crowds, and it was hot for March, and the idea of standing in line with lots of small children milling around when Tony insisted that they stay and relax was hard to pass up.

 

That was, until she was tucking Peter in for the night and he’d given her a rundown of their day.

 

Tony looked up at her as she knocked on the glass separating the stairs down to his lab, brows raising. She wouldn’t have had access to the space, didn’t expect to, and she heard him instruct his AI to open the door. That had taken a little time for her to get used to, how the house itself seemed alive, opening windows and doors, giving them up to the minute updates on the weather and news.

 

He put whatever he was working on down with a smirk, looking up at her from his workbench.

 

“Nice shades, I take it you and the girls had a nice day out by the beach.”

 

May rolled her eyes and removed them. “The midday nap took care of the mimosa’s, don’t you worry. We just got done tucking the boys in.”

 

Tony nodded. “And I feel like there’s more to this than just that…”

 

She crossed her arms and frowned. “You bought Disneyland?!”  


Tony scoffed and held his hands up. “I didn’t _buy_ Disneyland, I rented the park for like, half of the day.” At her incredulous look, he plowed on. “A lot of people do it, it’s for security!”

 

“Peter told me he rode Space Mountain so many times he threw up.”

 

“Yeah, well…” Tony shrugged. “It was Disneyland.”

 

* * *

**April 2008**

 

May pulled up to the Community Center in the midafternoon after a 10-hour shift at Queens Memorial. She turned off the car, staring up at the plain building. A few floors high, not terribly wide, something anyone would assume was a random business building in the middle of the city, and it had completely changed her life.

 

She’d really not considered the depth of possibilities when she’d signed up for this program. She really believed it would be a simple, formal affair of Peter showing up for some class like event and meeting someone once or twice a month. Never could she have imagined that they would have ended up with another person in their life who felt like family.

 

She grabbed her purse, shrugging it onto her shoulder before getting out of the car. Tony had asked her to meet him here in the afternoon, without Peter, without telling her what it was about. A very tiny part of her worried, thinking back to the fall before, when Tony had become aloof and distant and she wondered if he’d changed his mind.

 

Then she thought about California, and how he’d accommodated them. How he’d put them up in his home and how he’d taken care of those kids and she knew it couldn’t possibly be that. The level of his consideration felt genuine, and she chose to believe it was.

 

She entered the building and Pepper was waiting at the main desk, which was strange. The center was an independent organization, not a public program, though they did benefit from some grants. It was also not privately owned; by her understanding, as Ellen had once informed her, it was a non-profit, funded mostly by benefactors and donors.

 

Pepper made small talk with her as she walked her up the stairs and into a private meeting room. There was a mock-up of a building on the table, as well as some kind of equipment around it. May wasn’t sure what any of this meant, but Pepper’s presence told her it had something to do directly with Tony, and that made her a little nervous.

 

He swept in not much later. He was dressed as he usually was when he was working---a completely loaded suit, cufflinks, shoes that would probably pay her rent for 3 months. He stopped by the building model, pressing at a few of the buttons on the mechanisms closest to it and stood back up.

 

“Thanks for coming by, May. I know you gotta get the kid from school, so I’m not gonna take up too much of your time.”

 

“I made time for it.” She crossed her legs, settling into a seat the table. “Should I be worried about this at all?”

 

He gave her a confused look. “What? No. No, this isn’t…” He huffed a laugh. “Did you think I was gonna like shut it down, altogether? Dressed like this?”

 

“You’re always dressed like this.”

 

“What am I, a farmer?” He winked at her and circled the table. “No, no, I brought you here because Ellen and I have settled on the plan for some of the renovations and I wanted to get your take on something.”

 

Odd, May thought; both Tony and Ellen had mentioned the improvements they were making to the Center and to the program, and she knew a lot of that had to do with a significant contribution from Stark Industries. And she definitely thought that was great, but she wasn’t sure what sort of insight she could offer, especially since she didn’t really know anything about it.

 

Without another word, Tony hit something on his watch and the table top in front of her lit up in blue. The shape of the building emerged, a three-dimensional figure she recognized of the facility they were in now.  

 

“That’s neat,” She said, leaning forward. It was an open top view of the building, and she could see the room they were in on the second floor, highlighted in pink. He smiled.

 

“Thank you. So,” He rubbed his hands together. “As you can see, this is the current layout of the Community Center. Two floors, a couple of meeting rooms up here, common areas for the kids to play below. Sufficient.” He sniffed. “I guess.”

 

“We’re thinking of adding three floors.” He made cutting motions with his hands to represent the additions. “The third would be an open communal area, somewhere people could purchase food, a few refrigerators if people wanted to bring stuff from home, even a small kitchenette, all sorts of options. In the back of the floor, we wanted to put in some rooms with beds in case people needed to stay for whatever reason, along with bathrooms and showers. Some of the families that use the facilities are more in need than others.”

 

“That’s...really thoughtful of you.”

 

He raised a brow. “Don’t sound so surprised.” He paused. “It was Ellen’s idea. So,” he clapped his hands. “The top two floors will be for the kids aged k-12; the bottom two floors will be distributed across different age groups, with meeting areas and common play areas on the first floor. We’re gonna do some stuff with the playgrounds outside as well, but we have another company working on that. What I really wanted to talk to you about, was the East wing of the fourth and fifth floor.”

 

Two areas of the flat layout lit up on one side of the building. Tony continued without May saying a word.

 

“This wing is going to be for the most cutting edge tech that we can expose students to. Right now, we’re messing around with a lot of interactive holographic tools,” To demonstrate, he lifted his hand, and the levels of the building rose to represent the five floors planned, different floor plans lighting up in different colors. “There’s a lot of other stuff, nothing weapons related, but we have individual R&D personnel assigned to the planning. The kids who have access to these programs would be exposed to technology most wouldn’t see for 20 years.”

 

“This is amazing, Tony. You’ve obviously put a lot of thought and effort into this,” May breathed. “And I think it’s wonderful that your participation in the program has led to this, but I’m not sure what that has to do with _me_ , specifically.”

 

Tony paused where he stood, and he folded his hands in front of himself and smiled. He bent his head. “Well, this is where we get to the part I’m not so adept at.” He cleared his throat. “May, I’m not always great, at reading a room. Usually, I don’t care, because in the end, it doesn’t really matter if I piss someone off or if I don’t, but I don’t want to piss you off or upset you. The truth is, without you or Peter, I may not have been this involved in this program, there may not have been another kid that they thought paired well with me. And I know your husband was a teacher.”

 

Her expression must have given away the way his last few words made her insides twist, because he rushed forward. “I mean, Peter has told me how his Uncle was a police officer in the military when he was younger, but that he became a teacher. That he liked helping people. And it’s probably weird, to you, that’d I’d bring him up but…” Tony breathed out slowly collecting himself. “I’d like to name this wing for your husband. For Benjamin Parker. If that’d be alright with you. I’d have never met Peter or you otherwise.” He paused again. “I hope that’s not inappropriate.”

 

May had been struck silent. She stared at the holograph in front of her, the left side of the building section, lit up in pink, that would potentially be named for her husband. She let her hand drift into the image, sending light particles spiraling, withdrawing it so they all came back together. She looked up at Tony.

 

“I...I don’t even know really what to say,” She breathed, letting her gaze drift back to the model in front of her. Her eyes began to tear. “He would have loved this. He would love seeing something like this open for kids who needed access to this stuff.”

 

He waited quietly for her to process the request and figure out what she wanted to do. She stared at the model, shimmering in the air in front of her. She tried to imagine what life would be like without Ben's passing. As much as she'd come to care about Tony, she would much prefer to still have her husband alive and that would certainly mean never knowing him; and, despite his self-doubt, she was sure he could have been assigned another child. She wondered if he’d have found himself in this same spot, investing in this effort, inspired by the work he’d found himself apart of.

 

She looked up at him, blinking away tears. “I think it would be an amazing tribute to him. I honestly don’t know what else to say, Tony. Do...Do I need to do anything?”

 

“We can work out the details later. You can be involved as little or as much as you’d like. There may be some dinners or other events we’ll ask you to attend, but I don’t want this to seem like an obligation or anything.” He paused. “He was an important part of yours and Peter’s life, and I wanted to honor that.”

 

She wiped at her eyes. “I take it this wasn’t Ellen?”

 

“Nope. All me.” He gave her a tight smile. “I don’t want to be overstepping, if you don’t want to do this, you can totally say no…”

 

“No, no, Tony, I think it’s perfect. Thank you.” She nodded. “Just let me know what you need me to do.” She stood, grabbing her purse. She smiled at him. “I need to get going. You had said this would be quick, I hope that’s alright?”

 

“Of course, of course,” He looked at his watch quickly. “I actually have to be in midtown in an hour and a half, so I should probably get going too. I just wanted to be the one to talk to you about this.”

 

“I appreciate that you took the time to show me everything and ask me. There’s actually something I’ve been wanting to ask you too. I was gonna wait, until...well, I’m not sure until when, I’ve been a little nervous, but considering this…”

 

Tony raised a brow as May rambled. He’d grown to consider her a good friend in the year and a half since this had all started and of all the things May Parker was, uncertain of herself wasn’t really one of them. He smiled. “Not gonna bite, May.”

 

That seemed to relax her. She shot him a look and rolled her eyes. “Right. Look,” She stopped near the door, folding her arms together in front of her. “I’ve thought a lot about this. Peter...he loves spending time with you. I’m happy that it seems to be a consensus we’re going to keep doing it. And when I was thinking about this, between you and the Leeds, you know, that’s a lot to ask of a family who already has kids and a limited income…”

 

“You’re kind of rambling again, May.”

 

She blushed. “Right. Sorry. Anyway.” She took a deep breath. “If something happens to me...I don’t want Peter to go into the system. I wanted to know if maybe...you’d, be interested in being his designated guardian.”

 

Tony went still. “May, that’s….I mean, of course, of course, I would be okay with that, but you don’t have to feel like you have to do something like that in exchange for the stuff at the Center.”

 

May smiled. “I talked to my lawyer about it a couple of weeks ago, he was going to look into redrafting the language in my will. He told me I should probably run it by you but I was nervous…this just felt like the right time to bring it up.”

 

Tony peered over at her, deep in thought. “This isn’t because of….” He gestured towards the model on the table.

 

May shook her head. “Like I said. I talked to Ellen about it. And she and her husband are more than willing but you know…” She sighed. “Peter loves you, Tony. He loves being around you. I think you really care about him too. And...you have the means. That’s not the only reason but I do have to think about what would be best for him.”

 

It was a lot. It was a lot to ask, but also a lot to consider, but she was right---Tony did have the means. And Tony did care about Peter and May. And while God forbid it ever came to pass, it would be complicated, and Tony liked the idea of still being able to help the kid if he needed it.

 

“I would be honored, May.”

 

* * *

**May 2008**

 

Tony tried not to think about the fact that he had to go back to California. He didn’t want to think about the two weeks he had to spend in Afghanistan at the end of the month, about the demonstration of his latest innovative weaponry. He hated the whole schmoozy thing government contracting entailed, the smiles and the winks and the smug shoulder rubbing bullshit he had to do. As far as he was concerned, that was what Obadiah was for and he sometimes he resented that he had to be involved in it at all.

 

But, he surmised; if they were going to be burning through money, throwing it at the next big thing, it might as well be his tech over Justin Hammer. And right now, he didn’t want to even be thinking about that. He didn’t want to be worrying about all the crappy stuff he had to plan for, he wanted to enjoy where he was, just now, he wanted to remember his last couple days with Peter as best he could.

 

Tony shifted where he sat on the park bench. He was regretting, now, wearing the wool. It was that time of year where it was cooler in the morning and often---but not _always_ \---warmed up as the day went on, and his shirt was sticking to him uncomfortably. He shrugged off his jacket, throwing it over the back of the bench behind him.

 

He squinted behind his sunglasses, looking up where the sun hung in the sky. Looking down at his watch confirmed it---it was almost 2 o’clock, and they were going to have to go soon.

 

Tony’s gaze drifted to the kid running through the open field. He’d been worried, after the day on the playground the summer before, that Peter would be traumatized for a long time and avoid the place, and that had bummed Tony out immeasurably. Central Park was beautiful and vast, and he hoped it wouldn’t too adversely affect the kid in the long run.

 

Turned out, a state of the art, kick ass kite that looked like an X-Wing went a long way to help alleviate any sort of heartache Peter might have had about it.

 

He’d given it to Peter in March when he’d flown all of them out to his Malibu home over spring break. May had been resistant, at first, over what she opined to be an extravagance---though he didn’t hear her complain once the day she and Pepper and Ellen got to spend the day by the beach while he and Rhodey corralled the kids. Tony had defended himself as the owner of the plane and the house and the beach, and May had relented and agreed to the trip.

 

And so they’d had dinner in the house, and yes, maybe there had been a trip to Disneyland in there for a day, and a barbecue on the beach. Tony had made the kite in the weeks before, made it out of material that was light enough to ride the wind but not so fragile that it would break when it hit the ground---he’d made one for Ned as well, but that was in the shape of a TIE fighter, and the boys had gotten excited when Tony explained that they could eventually learn to battle them.

 

There were two strings, and it had taken a few days to figure out how to work it, but now, in May, Peter had it down. Tony watched with a small smile as the kid moved his arms, the kite following to dip and swirl and when it pulled a loop, he saw Peter look over and grin wider to see that Tony was watching him.

 

“Did you see that, Mr. Stark?? I made it do a flip!”

 

“I did, kid, that’s a great job. You’re really getting the hang of it!” He sat forward a little bit. “Hey kiddo, it’s getting’ close to that time, so you got about 15 minutes and we gotta head back to your Aunt’s for you to get ready for tonight.”

 

Peter made a face at that. “Ooookay.”

 

A soft smile split his face as Peter turned back towards the sky, and he reclined back to watch some more. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t sense a person coming up from behind him.

 

“Seems like a pretty good kid,” A gravelly voice said, causing Tony to jump and turn around. He blanched at the sight of the man standing there, holding a leash with a little dog at the end of it.

 

“Judge...Judge Stewart,” He managed to get out, stumbling to his feet. It was the man who had started all of this, really, the one who had sentenced him to this whole shebang. Tony began to sweat more.

 

The older man grinned. “Small world, isn’t it? This is mine and Petunia’s normal route,” He said with a lift of the dog's leash. “I’ve never seen you here before.”

 

“Well, the last time we were at the park, we had a bit of an incident, so I thought we’d try somewhere different.”

 

“Yes, I think I heard about that,” The man mused as he stared at Tony, but there was an underlying tone of amusement there and Tony didn’t take it as a threat.

 

“You’ve kept track?”  


The older man shrugged. “I handle a lot of cases. Yours was pretty high profile, so I hear things from time to time.” The judge’s gaze shifted over to Peter, who had finally noticed Tony had been joined by someone else and was reeling the kite towards the ground. “From what I understand, you completed your hourly requirement for your sentencing over two months ago.”

 

Tony flushed. “Well...yes, sir, but I mean...you know…”

 

Judge Stewart grinned. “Nothing against the rules about that, Mr. Stark. Just an observation.”

 

Tony nodded. “He’s a good kid, and I’ve become good friends with his Aunt. I just help out when she needs it. They...don’t really have anyone else, you know?”

 

The Judge nodded. “I do. May I sit?”

 

Tony shuffled a few feet over, lowering himself back onto the bench. He gestured to the free space. “Of course.”

 

Peter had, by this point, gotten the kite to the ground and had it tied up the way Tony had shown him, to keep the line from getting tangled. He hurried over to the adults, a confused look on his face.

 

“Hey Pete,” Tony leaned forward. “You about ready to get going?”

 

Peter nodded, gaze darting to the older man sitting next to Tony. “It did really good Mr. Stark. I think I’m getting better at it.”

 

Tony smiled. “I think you are too, kid. You and Ned will be going at it in no time.”  


Peter grinned, and Tony was reminded of the tooth he had lost a week or so before, during school. Not for the first time, there was a soft pang at knowing he would be leaving for a few months and that they would only talk over video chats or phone calls. He supposed he should just be thankful he was well off enough to be able to climb on a plane whenever he wanted to visit his friends, he was much more well off than so many others.

 

But. He would miss Peter

 

His thoughts wandered, and Peter’s attention was redirected. He peered over at the old man with narrowed eyes. “Who’re you?”

 

The Judge just kept smiling. “My name is Judge Stewart. Mr. Stark and I are old friends.”

 

Tony huffed, his elbows rested on his knees. He shuffled closer to Peter and grabbed one of Peter’s sleeves to regain his attention. “Hey, kid. You remember last year when I left for California and you asked me about the police? How we became friends?”

 

Peter squinted up at him, trying to recall what Tony was saying. “Didn’t you say it was…” And he looked over at the old man. “That’s a Judge?”

 

The old man laughed. Tony grinned wider.

 

“His name is Judge Stewart, and yes. Judge Stewart is who...suggested we hang out.”

 

Peter turned fully towards the Judge, eyes wide. “You’re why Mr. Stark is my friend?”

 

The man softened. He cast a glance at Tony, then back at the child. “Well, I think you and Mr. Stark decided to be friends. But...I guess I helped a little.”

 

He seemed surprised when Peter stepped forward and hugged him briefly. “Thank you, Mr. Judge! Mr. Stark is like, my second best friend.”

 

Judge Stewart looked over at him and Tony smiled. “His first best friend is Mrs. Leed’s six-year-old son Ned, and personally, I feel like that’s much more appropriate.”

 

The Judge laughed again. “You’re welcome, Peter. I’m happy that you and Mr. Stark are such a good team.”

 

Peter had kind of stopped listening. At this point, his attention had turned to the black and white dog squirming impatiently under the bench. “Is that your dog?”

 

“She is. Her name is Petunia.”

 

“Can I pet her?”

 

“Yes, you can. Thank you for asking.”

 

“Just a few minutes, bud,” Tony interjected. “We gotta get going, the dinner is at 7.” He redirected his attention to Judge Stewart. “We have the rededication of the Community Center tonight, and one of the wings is being named for his Uncle, so he and his Aunt were invited…”

  
The Judge nodded. “I think I heard something about that as well. I didn’t intend to keep you by any means.” They both turned their attention to Peter who, at this point, had the dog upside down on the ground, rubbing its belly as it made these snuffling noises, writhing with happiness. They wanted to give him a few minutes of playing with the dog, so the Judge returned to Tony. “It’s good to see you going above and beyond what you were originally assigned to do.”

 

Tony flushed and shrugged his shoulders. “Well, Stark Industries has always done work for the underprivileged in our communities,” He explained, downplaying the efforts to revitalize the program he was now finished with. “That was a passion of my mother’s, so it’s never gone neglected.”

 

“I wasn’t aware you were so personally involved in those efforts.”

 

Tony looked away. Because he hadn’t been, ever. Pepper was in charge of most of that, since she was in charge of almost everything, outside of the business stuff that Obie took responsibility for. If he were completely honest, Tony probably couldn’t have named any of the organizations they made contributions to.

 

But his name was on the side of the building, and the products, and the checks, so he was...somewhat involved. Right?

 

“I...could have made more of an effort,” He admitted. “No better time than the present.”

 

“That’s very true,” The judge hummed, smiling over at the younger billionaire. "Tony Stark...philanthropist. Thank you for not proving me wrong, Mr. Stark.” He looked down to Peter, whose attention had been redirected across the field where a couple of dogs were running around, catching frisbees. “I think it's about time Petunia and I got to heading home. It was nice to meet you, Mr. Parker.”

 

“It was nice to meet you, Mr. Judge.”

 

The man grinned wider and shook Peter’s hand, then Tony’s, and pulled softly at his dog's leash to lead her away. Tony watched them go down the pathway for a moment before standing up and grabbing for his jacket.

 

“Mr. Stark, did you see that black and white dog over there? It looked like it was flying!” Peter was pointing at the animals across the field, a giant smile on his face. Tony peered down at the kid in amusement; Peter was lost in watching the animals as they rounded on their owners as the frisbees flew through the air and went after them over and over again.

 

“That is really cool kiddo. How about this,” He started to slide his coat on “You know, they have shows where they have animals doing all sorts of tricks like that. How about we plan on that for when I get back after the summer, huh? Something you’d be interested in?”

 

Peter nodded quietly. “After you come back from the desert?”

 

“A little bit after that, yeah.”

 

“I really want to do that.” Peter paused, squinting up into the sun as he looked up at him. “You’re really coming back?”

 

Tony’s smile widened. “Absolutely, kid. We’re friends now. You’re stuck with me. Now here,” He held out a hand. “We gotta go. May’s gonna be mad if I get you home late.”

 

He took Peter’s hand, pulling out his phone out with his free hand to text Happy and let them know they were on their way to the car. He spared another quick look to Peter, still half watching the dogs as they trained, and he thought back to the Judge and the brief interaction he’d just had. Thought about how the man had helped to realign his life.

 

Tony wasn’t drinking nearly as much as he’d used to; somewhere along the line, it'd become clear it hadn't been fair to the people who'd been there all along, Rhodey and Pepper, and it certainly wouldn't fly with establishing a place as some kind of...mentor, to a small child. He didn't want that to be how people thought of him, and he'd just never cared enough to be better than that. And now he had these extra initiatives that he found himself more personally invested with---the Community Center, mostly, but other things he wanted to consider contributing towards in the future---that he had just never paid mind to before. The old man’s amused musing repeated in his brain.

 

_Tony Stark...philanthropist._

 

Genius, billionaire, playboy…

 

Philanthropist?

 

He kind of liked the sound of that.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading!! and all the kudos and comments, they make me smile and i love replying to them and getting people's feedback. This was really something that popped into my head, heavily influenced by the Mighty Ducks (this is aging me, but Charlie and Gordon Bombay's relationship always made my heart soft) and a close friend's own experience with the Boys and Girls club and just went from there. 
> 
>    
> for those wondering about afghanistan: there will be an interlude, part 2 of this series posted probably friday (i'm seeing Capt Marvel tomorrow so i probably won't be then) but it's legit done and just needs to be edited that will deal with all the Iron Man/Avengers stuff. i also have written something around CACW but we'll see if that takes more shape.


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